The Misfits Battalion
by FirebatRay
Summary: To think I'd be part of a battalion as colorful as this one. I never would have guessed that we'd manage to contribute a lot to this war. Now, I dedicate everything in this book to my brothers and sisters who bled and suffered with me through the long and painful years of the 2nd Europan War.
1. Title Page

**The Misfits Battalion**

 **Denzel**

 **September 1, 1990**

 **Valkyrie Publishers Inc.**

 **Randgriz, Gallia**


	2. Ch 1: All Day

My story has a rather unusual start. I would like to open my story with a bit of 'bang'.

Unlike most accounts, which starts with a simple villager or town watchman, mine starts with a rowdy individual named Desmond Crocker…

 **An unlikely beginning:**

Randgriz, 1930.

The Judge stares down the accused, who was standing in the middle of the room.

Striking his gavel on the table, the judge hands down the accused man's fate.

"Desmond Crocker. You have been accused of ten counts of armed robbery, three counts of assault, and two counts of murder. How do you plea?"

"Not guilty" the young man defiantly said

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have your honor" the representative jury said as she stands up "We, the jury, find the defendant, Desmond Crocker, guilty of all charges"

I think 'rowdy' is an understatement when describing this young man. Desmond Crocker, at the time, was a 20 year old career bank robber. For 6 years, his gang, known as Moonglow, terrorized Gallia, mostly Randgriz, through a series of bank & jewelry store robberies.

In the winter of 1929, Desmond led his gang to rob the Randgriz National Bank.

Unfortunately, the heist ended in failure as the quick response of the police prompted Desmond and his gang to leave behind most of the loot.

In the ensuing chaos, his gang had murdered two people, a Darcsen couple.

Desmond was captured at the end of the day as the other gang members escape…

He was quickly put to trial just days later and he was found guilty on all charges in January 4th, 1930.

"Now" the judge said "Desmond Crocker, due to the gravity of your crimes, you are hereby sentenced to life in prison"

At the tender age of 20, the young gang leader would spend the next 5 years in Gallia's Maximum Security Prison located south of the Capital.

 **The Fires of War:**

When the empire invaded in March of 1935, the government wasted no time in issuing notices of conscription to the populace, I was one of the volunteers who joined the militia but this chapter is not about me yet.

Rather, this is still about Desmond. At the time, the Imperial advance left the Gallian army in shambles, forcing them to intensify the recruitment of volunteers for the militia.

In conjunction with this, a certain squad of the militia was created with the purpose of increasing the manpower of the militia as well as acting as Gallia's black ops unit.

It was a penal squad composed of Gallia's hardened criminals, with varying rap sheets from murder to espionage to even treason. Most of the members of the squad had done at least one major crime against the Gallian government.

Desmond was supposed to be forced to join the squad and participate in the war but something happened along the way…

The road between Randgriz and prison was long, with most of it being near open terrain.

Like many others, the police underestimated the crafty individual that is Desmond Crocker…

It was about 5:30 in the morning when the police loaded Desmond into an APC, escorted by two police cars. He was supposed to be transported to the Militia HQ in the outskirts of the city.

"So you're that gang leader huh…" one of the guards said as he looked at the prisoner, who was still handcuffed "You know, I had a brother who got shot while responding to one of your heists a few years back"

"What's it to ya?" the prisoner said with uncaring eyes

"You two-faced piece of shit! My fucking brother was crippled from the hip down cuz of you!"

"So what? It's a harsh world out there. People get hurt, die, and all that shit. What's one cop getting shot, right?"

"You mother-"

"Enough" the other guard intervened "He's not worth your time"

"Tell me" Desmond said "Where's your brother now?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Come on. You already got this far. Might as well put more guilt on me"

"Self-indulgent piece of crap… Fine. He's still in Randgriz. Doing another job"

Desmond nods to himself as he smiles confidently "That's good…"

The prisoner then ducks down and puts his hands over his head.

"What the hell are you doing?"

As the guard was reaching for Desmond, a car crashes into the lead vehicle, causing the convoy to stop.

"What the hell?!" the guard said as Desmond smiles saying "Party time"

The prisoner then rams his head onto the guard's stomach, causing him to hit the APC's wall.

"Why you…!" the other guard said as he attempts to pick up his pistol

But Desmond kicks the gun off of his hand and quickly kicks the man's face several times, knocking him out.

The other guard grabs Desmond's shoulder but the prisoner raised his head and smiles before he headbutts the guard, disorienting him.

Before the guard could get up, Desmond swings his arms and hits the man's face, knocking him out.

Desmond then sat there and listened to the sound of gunfire from the outside.

Within a few minutes, the APC doors open and the prisoner was greeted by some old friends.

"Hi boss" one of them said

"About fucking time…" the prisoner said as he walks out of the APC "So how many kills?"

"We have about 2 guards dead sir. We had no choice"

"Oh well… What's two anyway, right? Let's get outta here"

"Yes sir!"

It didn't take long for the other guards to regain consciousness and call for backup. By the end of the day, 2 guards were shot dead while the rest were injured.

Despite the setback, the police decided against conducting a manhunt as most of the resources were being used for the war effort.

This allowed Desmond to go into hiding as the war raged around Gallia.

While in hiding, the escaped convict plotted to revive his old gang.


	3. Ch 2: August 3

Have you ever wondered what birds feel as they fly through the open sky?

Typically, people say peace, love, hope, and other clichés.

I don't think that's it…

I think those birds are trying hard… Too hard to attain something and failing at it…

What is it, you ask? Freedom… The birds want freedom. Soaring as high as they can in the open sky, trying to reach the heaven that lies just above those clouds.

But it's not enough so they try and try.

Flapping their wings over and over again.

Travelling from one place to another.

They try so hard to reach such great altitudes but it's not enough.

Maybe that's why heaven is still beyond our reach…

For we lack the proper wings to soar higher.

Those thoughts kept on raising on the me of 1940 as I lie under that big Molave tree.

Every time I remember those questions, those vague answers, and, most important, her…

After retiring from the military in 1938, 24-year-old me decided to take a degree in law at the University of Vasel.

1940\. It was the start of another semester and boy was it rough.

During the 1935 invasion, most of the University's records were destroyed and even after 5 years, the Administration still struggled with the records and this caused many problems to the students and, even, staff.

Obviously, everyone wasn't happy about the lack of action done by the Administration. This caused several students to protest every semester over the next few years.

Due to my past as a Gallia Militiaman and Infantryman in 1935 and 1937 respectively, my own adviser, the dean of the College of Law, forced me to join the University Watch.

Which is like a town watch actually and I hated the idea of joining since it brought back painful memories. Due to our adaptive nature as humans, I, surprisingly, managed to adjust and make some really good friends.

And so here I was in the opening days of August 1940 in what would be later known as "The Vasel Incident"

* * *

"Same shit, Different Day" I lazily said, standing near a group of protesters in front of the Administration Building.

"Come on, Denzel" my friend, Jake Keller, said "Where's your sense of duty?"

Jake Keller. I wouldn't have asked for a greater friend than him. Tall, thick beard, but relatively short hair. You'd think he's 30-years-old or something but he's actually around my age.

He was our bona fide leader and despite the prejudice against my race, he still managed to set all that aside and work together with us. And yes. I'm a Darcsen if the name hasn't already tipped you off. And boy was it a painful existence. But it fills me with joy and hope that there are still people out there like Jake.

Anyway, it was another routine patrol.

That time, me and Jake were on duty.

"Aren't you getting tired of all this?" I asked "I mean, it's the same damn 'mission' every time, mostly at the start of the sem!"

"Repetitive. Yes. But it's our duty as JSOC. Isn't that enough?"

"In case you forgot, the dean forced me into this"

"But you liked it in the end, right?"

I couldn't respond to that.

Yes. I admit that I hated it at first and eventually grew to like it.

Also if you noticed, Jake went to the liberty of renaming the University Watch into the Joint Selected Operations Command or JSOC for short.

"Anyway" I said, looking at my pocket watch "We've been here for 4 hours now. Can we just go? I could use some refreshments"

Jake was quick to reply. "No can-"

My friend was cut off by the sound of gunfire

"Shit…" My friend muttered as we nodded at one another "Let's go!"

It didn't take long for the 2 of us to reach the scene, which was around the small park we called the University Square.

"Shooters!" I said pointing to the 5 armed gunmen

The situation escalated quickly as 5 individuals began to open fire on the students.

"Denzel!" My partner yelled as he checks on the injuries of a University Police Officer "Get me the trauma kit!"

"Right!" I responded as I hand over the kit and tended to the wounds of another police officer

As we treated the two downed officers, the shooters turned their sights on us.

We quickly carried both officers into the relative safety of the Physical Sciences Building.

"Why are they shooting us?" I asked

"No clue. But if they're willing to attack two first responders, let alone students, then these guys are out for blood"

As the sound of gunfire drew closer, I noticed one of the officer's holstered pistol.

I stared at Jake, who had the same idea as me and with a nod we grabbed the officers' guns and placed them at the care of the frightened faculty.

"You ready?" Jake asked as we stood by the wall

"Yeah!" I replied as we broke cover and opened fire

Thanks to my military history and Jake's military enthusiasm, we skillfully utilized our 45 caliber pistols against the enemies armed with submachineguns

"Do we all go lethal?" I asked

"Only if you have to! Incapacitate them!"

"Copy!"

As I took a peek, I noticed the attackers were headed somewhere else

"Jake! They're headed towards the Registrar's office!"

"There?! Are they after the Cashier's office nearby?!"

We didn't have time to ponder on what the attackers' motives were. So the two of us quickly made our way across the street.

Of course, our adversaries spotted us almost immediately and we soon found ourselves being hailed with bullets.

We both instinctively dived to the nearest cover. I used the statue in the middle of the park while Jake went a bit further and got inside the Humanities Building.

We were pinned down for a good 5 minutes before the University Police came.

They quickly took positions around the park.

Me and Jake then retreated and proceeded to request for better firearms. I took an old Gallian S rifle while Jake took EW2-era mags submachinegun.

We then quickly made our way back to the battlefield.

The attackers had already entrenched themselves inside the building by the time we got by the back entrance.

"Should we wait for the others from JSOC?" I asked

"No time. Besides, we can handle any situation without any problems, right?"

"That is true… Let's go then"

With no hesitation, the two of us entered the building and made our way to the Registrar's office, checking room after room just in case.

Surprisingly, we managed to get behind the enemy.

"This is almost too easy…" I muttered as I fired a shot, aimed at one of the shooters' shoulders.

That was when I came face-to-face with him…

"Alright…" he said "… Who didn't check the back?"

A tall but young looking man, armed with the newest model of the mags series, emerges from the Registrar's office.

"Shit!" Jake said as he recognizes the man

"What? Who's that?"

"That's Him! One of Gallia's most wanted criminals, the one we talked about a few hours ago!"

"Fuck… So he's the leader…"

Yes. We came face-to-face with an infamous criminal. At the time, I didn't know what he was doing or why. All I knew was that he wanted something from that office.

"Somebody keep these kids at bay…" the criminal said as he fires several bursts at us

The armed men then turned their sights on us.

Although, unlike before, me and Jake managed to hold our ground pretty well but our enemies were also well trained as we both had a hard time landing bullets at one another.

"Aren't those the latest models of Gallian submachineguns and rifles?!" I said, noticing their weapons

"What the hell… They're better equipped than the University Police? He's as crafty as reports said…"

I forgot how long it took but eventually, the leader emerged from the office, carrying a bag. His subordinates then take several other bags and began to make their way towards their escape vehicle, parked nearby.

Of course, we followed them but once they reached the vehicle, we knew that we couldn't get close as the car had several mounted MGs which prevented us from even breaking cover which allowed the criminals to escape…

Later that night, everyone from JSOC gathered at our HQ, near the Grandia Hall.

"What did they steal?" Marvin, our resident Darcsen mechanic, asked

"Bags of money" our adviser, the head of University Security, said "Worth around thirty thousand Ducat and several files from the University"

"Why would the attackers target Registrar?" Nancy Lyons, our resident Nursing student, wondered "Money aside, why take University documents?"

"We're still investigating on the motives behind this incident…" our adviser answered "Jake. Denzel. You two were there when the shooting began. What can you tell us?"

Jake answered first

"The attacks looked unorganized at first but we soon found out that this group was more organized than we thought"

"But" I added "We may have identified the group's leader"

"Really?" everyone said

I was bit nervous in saying it maybe it was because me and Jake came so close to one of Gallia's most infamous murderers. But I worked up the courage to say his name…

"Desmond Crocker…"


	4. Ch 3: The Fox and The Hound

After 5 years of hiding, the infamous criminal, Desmond Crocker, had returned

It didn't take long for the police to get their hands full as crime rates skyrocket overnight

Murder, gang wars, shootouts, heists, you name it

The cities ran ablaze with crime as Desmond and his gang begin a crusade of destruction

* * *

It was just a few days after the Vasel Incident

The police was in chaos as they attempt to combat Desmond's crusade

Among these officers was a young 27 year old Darcsen

"Alright" the police chief said as all the other officers sit down in the meeting room "Now that we're all here, let's begin. Jones if you will"

"Yes sir" the middle-aged officer responded as he points to Desmond's picture on the board "Desmond Crocker. 30 years old. Convicted Bank Robber and murderer. Escape custody 5 years ago during the 1935 invasion. Just a few days ago, he and his gang attacked the University of Vasel, stealing thousands of Ducat in cash as well as the school's records"

"But why would they attack a school for money?" another officer asked

"Does it matter?" a female Darcsen officer said "Desmond targeted a school, end of story"

"Now. Now, Edna" the police chief responded "Let's not allow our emotions to get the better of us"

Edna Baak. Despite having a last name, this 27 year old police officer is a bona fide Darcsen. With the death of her birth parents 10 years before, the young Edna was forced to live in an orphanage in Riverwood until she was adopted by a small family living in the countryside a short time later.

The trauma of losing her parents inspired the young Darcsen girl to pursue a career in law enforcement.

An honor student all the way until her graduation, the fresh graduate was known for her special hatred of Desmond Crocker.

"Don't worry chief" the Darcsen officer replied "I'm not letting my emotions control me. What I'm trying to say is that we may need to look at another incident that happened that day too"

"You mean about the Duke?"

"Yes. As you all know, after escaping campus security, Desmond and his gang attacked the residential area, north of the great bridge. There, he ambushed Duke Anton Pazzi's convoy, killing several guards and the Duke himself"

"Yeah… Attacking a school then killing a nobleman. All in one day…"

"The Duke was shot several times in the chest and based on ballistics, the gangs used OG-43 submachineguns"

"OG-43s?" another officer responded "Aren't those the new standard guns for the military and militia? What's a criminal gang doing with newly made guns?"

"I know… But there's no mistaking it. Photos taken by local reporters, eye witness reports, and the ballistics test confirm that Desmond and his gang are using the latest models at least for submachineguns"

"But how did a criminal gang manage to acquire military grade weapons?"

"We're still investigating on that. But we suspect that there may be an underground network of arms dealers that gave Desmond his weapons. Also, an informant tipped me off on a possible murder plot on Duke Marvin Argoon"

"What?" the police chief said "Another nobleman? Are you sure?"

"Not entirely. The informant only sent me the tip via an anonymous letter"

"Do we take action based on an anonymous letter?" another officer asked "For all we know, it could be a trick to put us off track"

"Nevertheless" the police chief answered "We have to contact the Duke and investigate on this further"

The police wasted no time in contacting the duke.

As arrogant as the other nobles, Duke Marvin refused the police's help, relying on his own personal bodyguards.

But that didn't stop Edna…

 **Late August 1940 (Midnight):**

Inside an undercover vehicle, Edna and her partner, Drifa Castder, observe the large fancy mansion of Duke Argoon, situated on the outskirts of the Capital.

"Nothing for the past 4 days…" Drifa uttered as Edna continues to scan the premises with her binoculars

"No…" her partner replied "Desmond's coming… I know it"

Drifa Castder. Edna's 25 year old partner and the department's 'combat medic'. Formerly a nursing student during the 1935 invasion, she has yet to earn her medical license as her school records were destroyed during the war.

With nowhere else to go, Drifa decided to join the Randgriz Police Academy, where she met and befriended Edna.

"You sure are obsessed with this guy…" Drifa remarked with a sigh "Next thing, I'll find out you're in love with him"

"W-What?!" the Darcsen officer said, dropping her binoculars "H-Hell no! A-As if I'd fall in love with a lowlife like him! Besides, you know why I'm doing this!"

"I know… But killing him won't reverse what happened years ago"

"I know it won't. Which is why the least I can do is bring him to justice"

"Edna…"

Meanwhile, Desmond and his gang prepare to attack the mansion

Positioning themselves at the bottom of the hill, the men ready their equipment for the climb

A few minutes later, Desmond and about 7 assailants enter the back garden.

"You all know what to do" Desmond said as his men nod and proceed on their respective objectives

Desmond enters the mansion, through the backdoor, covertly killing the 3 guards inside using his knife to slit their throats.

As Desmond proceeds to the 2nd floor, Edna notices the activity as she observes several guards getting pulled either to the side or into the bushes.

"Something's wrong…" she said cocking her EW-II era mags submachinegun

"Hey!" Drifa said as Edna quickly gets out of the car "We can't just go charging in with loaded guns! Ah shit!"

Drifa quickly grabs her submachinegun and follows Edna.

At the same time, Desmond reaches Marvin's 2nd floor bedroom and knocks at the door.

As one of the guards opens the door, Desmond quickly plungers his knife onto the guard's throat and fires his 45 caliber pistol, hitting the other guard in the head.

After killing the remaining 2 guards, Desmond walks closer to his target.

"Marvin Argoon" the criminal said as he gives a menacing smile "It's nice to see you again…"

Having heard the gunshots, Edna convinces the skeptical guards by the gate to investigate

But as the guards begin to mobilize, Desmond's men open fire, forcing the guards to take cover by the gate as the criminals reinforce the mansion proper.

Back in the mansion, Marvin cowers in fear as Desmond continues his conversation

"You know who I am, right?"

"Y-Yes…"

"So you know why I'm here?"

"N-No… I-I don't know…"

"Playing dumb eh…" the criminal said as he throws a document and several photos to the noble "Maybe this'll jog your memory"

"No!" the Duke said recognizing the files "I-It wasn't me! I swear! Please!"

"That's what they all say"

"Please! I-I'll talk! I'll talk! Please! Don't kill me!"

"Alright. You've caught me interest. Start talking, the info may be worth your life"

Shifting to Edna, the situation seemed to be dire as the guards are unable to advance

"Goddamn it!" she shouted as she grabs one of the guards by the shirt "What kind of fucking training did you assholes have?!"

"We can't do anything!" the guard responded "It's an open space between the gate and the front door!"

"Son of a bitch…!" Edna said releasing the guard, who continues shooting

"Edna" Drifa said "If we can reach the sides, we can use the bushes as cover to get into the mansion"

"Alright. You!" Edna said calling the same guard "On my go, you guys go full auto and unload on the tangos by the door! Me and my partner will move into the house!"

"R-Right"

The plan was executed flawlessly as Edna and Drifa used the bushes to enter the mansion via the backdoor.

Quickly, running to the 2nd floor, Edna could only hear part of Desmond's conversation.

"I-I'm only a henchman!" the Duke pleaded "Please! I told you everything I know!"

"Ok… So who's the mastermind then?"

"I-I don't know… The person only sent proxies! B-But I heard Duchess Juno Radame is close to the mastermind"

"Another noble eh…"

"I-I told you everything so please spare me!"

"Are you sure that's everything?"

"Y-Yes! Please believe me! I'm telling the truth!"

"Oh I believe your information, alright" the Criminal said as he shows another photo "But you being a henchman…"

Recognizing the photo, the Duke was overcome with fear and despair as he says "Wait!" before being shot in the head several times by Desmond.

Finishing his sentence, Desmond added "… is utter bullshit"

"Desmond!" Edna shouted as she and Drifa break through the door "You're under arrest for the assault on the University of Vasel as well as several counts of murder!"

"Annoying…" the Criminal uttered

"Hands in the air, you sick bastard!" Edna shouted as she aims her gun at the criminal

"Hmm…" the Criminal said as he quickly closes the distance between him and Edna "You still got a lot to learn… Little Girl"

Desmond then knees her stomach and pistol whips the officer several times, knocking her out.

Drifa drops her gun and lunges at Desmond with her tonfa but the Criminal quickly parries her strike with his right arm.

"Long time, no see, 'Drifa'" the Criminal taunted "You still go by that name, right?"

"Desmond…" Drifa muttered as she attempts to kick her adversary between the legs but Desmond proved to be faster by blocking her attack.

"I see you've rusted a bit…" the Criminal remarked "Did your time with the cops soften you up?"

"Would you like to find out?" Drifa replied

"After you, 'my lady'…"

Compared to Edna, Drifa lasted longer and better against Desmond as both fighters fail to land a proper hit on one another

"Hmm…" Desmond uttered as he parries another strike from Drifa "Not bad… You could still use some work…"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now come quietly, Desmond"

"Sorry, darling" Desmond said as he brings out a tube with a grenade pin "But I got some cleaning to do…"

"Desmond…!" Drifa said as the criminal pulls the pin and looks away, covering his ears.

Drifa was then blinded by a flash of light and the loud bang of the 'grenade', caused her to be momentarily deaf.

With Drifa stunned, Desmond quickly gathered the files & photos he dropped and regrouped with his subordinates as they escape the manor by jumping down the hill.

As the sun rises over the mansion, Edna couldn't help but stare at the horizon as she contemplates on the events of that early morning…

"You ok?" Drifa asked

"No… Of course not. I had him, Drifa…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it… We'll get him next time"

"Yeah… For now, we gotta report back to HQ. Desmond's next target is Duchess Juno Radame… I'll go inside the mansion and see if Desmond left any clues…"

"Right…"

As Edna walks back into the mansion, Drifa couldn't help but continue staring at the horizon.

"Desmond…" she muttered "… What are you planning this time…?"

She then turns around and stares at Edna for a short while before going back to the horizon as she continued muttering

"Edna… You don't know just how similar you are to Desmond…"


	5. Ch 4: The Orphan

September 1940

The public was really rattled by the murder of a Duke

Desmond really struck so much fear into Gallia in such a short time…

* * *

 **Anthold Harbor**

 **Midnight:**

Desmond looks at the open sea, seemingly thinking about something, as a man, with a thick beard, approaches him

"Krypt" the gang leader said turning his face to the man "You have what I want, right?"

"Of course!" The shady man replied as a truck parks nearby "I never fail my customers"

Krypt. Desmond's personal arms dealer. Of course 'Krypt' is not his real name. A wanted criminal from the Federation, the then 29 year old fugitive fled to Gallia a few years before the 2nd Europan War began. Using his talents in arms dealing and intel gathering, the federation fugitive rose through Gallia's underworld.

"Check them" Desmond commanded as his men check the armor, weapons, and ammo in the truck

"They're good, boss!" the henchmen reported

"Very good" Desmond said as he hands over a suitcase "The payment as promised"

"Thanks for your business" the arms dealer said as he looks at the suitcase, filled to the brim with money

"Now" Desmond added "How about my intel?"

"Hmm…" Krypt muttered "I think I'm getting old. My memory seems to be fuzzy about that"

Without saying a word, Desmind throws a sack of money to the arms dealer

"Ah, I remember now!" he said "Your duchess will be in Merville by the end of the month"

"What's she doing there?"

"She's the head of the charity program that the local government would launch by the end of the month"

"Interesting…" the gang leader muttered with a smile "Merville… That's close to Riverwood… That means it's 'their' territory. I guess it's time to meet some old friends"

* * *

Merville. Another small town in the countryside.

A lot of people mistake that place for another town called Mellvere, although Merville is built on the side of a mountain

A town that lives in harmony with nature, Merville is famous for the beautiful forest surrounding the town, not to mention the highly therapeutic hot springs.

Back in 1935, the Imperial Army, like many towns, rolled through Merville with lightning fast aggression. Fortunately, the damage wasn't that severe.

It was a fairly cool September morning. I was doing my internship in the town's regional court when I saw the courtyard filled with police officers.

"That's a lot of officers…" I muttered to myself as I walked closer "… Quite a welcome"

Entering the courthouse, right after they meticulously searched my bag and person, I spotted Jake standing near one of the court rooms.

"Jake!" I called "What are you doing here? I thought your internship was in a hospital in Yuell?"

"My boss decided to go to this place to research about the medicinal plants in the area. I came here to help" my friend answered "How about you, how's your internship?"

"Well, its ok we're actually going to meet with a noble woman today"

"Wow. A noble woman. But what is someone like her doing in a small town like this?"

"She's doing some sort of charity event in the square. Actually, she's meeting with the mayor here to talk about the security measures and stuff"

As me and my friend continue our conversation, a familiar voice calls to me. "Denzel?"

I turned around and saw 2 police women, one Darcsen and one that was not

"Edna?" I uttered recognizing one of them "Is that you?"

"Wow" Edna responded "I knew it was you! It's been a while. How are you?"

"You know her?" Jake asked

"Yeah" I answered "She was part of the squad I was in back in 1935"

"And he was our squad leader" Edna added "A great tactician in the battlefield too"

"Stop…" I said, embarrassed "… Come on. I'm not that good…"

"Oh don't be so modest. If it wasn't for you, most of us would have been dead by Barious. Don't even get me started on Naggiar!"

"Whoah" Jake said "You were one hell of a commander then. Nice"

Like many others, I was drafted into the Militia during the Imperial invasion of Gallia. I was assigned to Squad 8.

After our original squad commander died in a skirmish at Melville, the entire team was in disarray over the shock. I never took the officer training courses nor did I have prior experience with strategy but I had no choice but to assume command so that we would get out of that battle alive.

I find it funny that one successful mission would be enough to have me promoted to the role of squad leader.

It's really embarrassing to talk about the things I did during the war. I don't know why thought. Actually, I'm feeling embarrassed right now just by writing the last few lines.

"So…" I said, trying to dodge the topic "… What brings you here, Edna?"

I wasn't looking at Jake but I heard him chuckle behind me

"Well" Edna replied "I'm the head of security for Duchess Radame"

"Wow" I responded "That's great. I guess you finally got your dream job"

"Yeah…"

"Ahem…" Drifa uttered

"Oh right" Edna said "I forgot. This is Drifa Castder, my partner"

"Denzel" I responded "This is Jake Keller"

"Hi" Jake said

* * *

At the same time, Desmond as also in the city.

From what I knew, he went there to meet with some old friends of his

"Desmond" a Darcsen woman said in a sultry tone "Haven't seen you in a while. Why didn't you visit Merville for so long?"

"Aria" Desmond responded "Sorry darling but I have scores to settle first"

"Another one you want to 'settle scores' with…" another similar looking Darcsen woman said as she emerges from the shadows "So what brings you here, in Raven Territory?"

"I'm just here to do some business, Rain"

Aria and Rain. Twin Darcsen gang leaders. They led what was once known as the Ravens. They were a ruthless gang of hired assassins that has total influence over most of southern Gallia.

Rain, the older twin by 5 minutes, is the brain behind the gang while Aria, the younger twin, is the brawn

"Business, you say" Rain said in a sultry tone "What kind of business?"

"Oh you know, the usual stuff… A car, a room, a casket…"

* * *

It was around noon. Jake went to a local hospital to help his boss.

So I was left to eat lunch with Edna. Her partner went somewhere else although I don't know why

We decided to eat in a local café

Back in 1935, Edna was still aspiring to join the police academy when the war came. I was just a fresh graduate of Yuell University with the degree on Economics.

As the two of us were catching up on old times, another individual approached us.

"Edna?" The man said

Edna looked at the man for a second

"Aster?" she said, recognizing the man

"So it is you, Edna!" the man replied

"Whoah! Aster! It is you!"

"Nice to see you again, Edna"

"Oh! Denzel. This is Aster Claes. We were from the same orphanage a few years back! Aster, this is Denzel, my squadmate back in 1935!"

"Hello" Aster said as I responded with a "Hi"

Aster Claes. A veteran from the Imperial Invasion. One of the few survivors of Squad 9, the young man later became the chief of Riverwood's townwatch.

Aster then joined us for lunch and I heard some interesting tales from the man

Turns out Edna lived in Riverwood's orphanage between 1929 and 1933 and was well acquainted wuth Aster and some other individuals.

"So" Edna said "How's Croix and the others?"

I noticed Aster becoming a bit sad as Edna asked the question.

He was silent for a while before saying "They're gone…"

"Oh…" Edna responded "I'm sorry… I didn't know. What happened?"

"KIA"

"Since when?"

"1935"

"What? Shit… I didn't know… I'm sorry…"

"It's ok"

"Where are they buried?"

"Randgriz War Cemetery"

"Randgriz huh… I'll go visit them"

"They'll like that…"

"So what bring you here, Aster?"

"I was invited by a friend to attend the charity event"

"Wow. Nice"

"Yeah"

"Oh right. How about Emilia? How is she?"

"… And we're back… Emilia went back to the Empire last year"

"Aw… So that means you've been lonely for a year now huh…"

"Shut up…"

"Huh?" I muttered, sitting there clueless

"Oh right" Edna said "This guy here fell in love with an Imperial officer back in 1935 and even managed to get her to defect, isn't that something?"

"Hey!" Aster said

Edna chuckled as the conversation continues

At first Aster was really sad hearing the names of his old friends but he soon changed his expression as we talked about other topics.

Something must have happened back in 1935 cuz I never really got him to tell me what happened… I just hope he can move on eventually…

* * *

 **4:30pm**

The event was in full swing.

People came in the hundreds as Duchess Radame personally helped in coordinating the event

A short while later, the duchess went to the stage and began her speech. I mostly forgot what she said but you can expect that she said the same cheesy lines we hear from politicians

As I stood near the stage, I saw Jake within the crowd, listening to the duchess' speech

Just then, a funeral car arrives and parks across the street.

I saw Edna talking to her radio, I guess she was suspicious of the car too…

In an instant, armed men emerge from the various cars, including the funeral car, parked in the area as well as the surrounding buildings

It didn't take long for bullets to start flying

Instinctively, I leapt to the nearest corner

Next to me, was none other than Aster, armed with a ZH-29 rifle (one of the new Gallian Rifle models)

"I guess these guys want to 'donate' bullets, huh?" the townwatch chief said as he fires several shots

"Shit!" I shouted as several bullets hit the concrete wall I was hiding behind

"You got a gun?" Aster asked

"No!" I responded

Aster then reaches for his holster and hands me a Tokarev

I grabbed the gun and some magazines as I proceeded to help the police

As I fired several shots against the enemy, I saw Jake, in a prone position, pinned down by enemy fire in the middle of the square

"Jake!" I shouted as more bullets whistle past me, forcing me to take cover

As I hide behind cover, I could see the duchess hiding behind the podium, pinned down by enemy fire

"Edna! I can reach the duchess!" Aster said over the radio "Want me to get her?"

"I'd appreciate that!" Edna replied "These bastards are raining bullets on us like there's no tomorrow!"

"Copy! I'll get her to safety!" the chief said as he gathers some of his subordinates through his radio "Denzel! I'm going to fetch the duchess! You provide cover!"

"Wait!" I retorted "My friend is pinned down in the middle of the square!"

"Don't worry!" Aster replied "Me and my men will cover you after we get the duchess!"

I couldn't really think of a proper strategy at the time

The trauma I experienced 3 years earlier was still fresh in my mind, so I was yet to 'unlock' my abilities in strategy and tactics once more.

"Alright" I replied as I positioned myself close to the edge of the wall

Aster and 2 other members of Riverwood's town watch cock their brand new rifles, ready to make the mad dash

"Now!" Aster shouted as he and his men began the sprint

Immediately, I broke cover and unloaded my pistol's magazine as Aster sprinted towards the duchess while his men provide additional coverfire.

Within less than a minute, Aster reaches the duchess

"Denzel!" he shouted "When I say 'go', you run to your friend! My men will cover you!"

"Alright!" I replied with a thumbs up

"When you get to him, pick him up and get out of there fast!"

"I got it!"

I reload my pistol. "8 rounds…"

I inhaled and exhaled as I could feel the adrenaline quickly coursing through my body

"GO!" Aster shouted as I ran towards Jake while Aster escorted the duchess to safety

I quickly made my way to Jake, unloading half my magazine

"Denz!" Jake uttered as I grab his arm

"No time!" Let's go!" I shouted as we ran back to the safety of the building with Aster's men providing cover

"That was tight…" Jake said as we catch our breaths

"Nice one Denzel" Aster said

"Thanks" I replied

"Hey!" the Duchess shouted "Aren't you going to lead me to safety?!"

"But ma'am" Aster replied "We don't know how many shooters are there or where they are positioned. Not to mention that the police is being overwhelmed by bullets"

"Screw all of them!" the Duchess interrupted "I am the matriarch of the Radame family! One of the most influential families in southern Gallia! My life is more valuable!"

Aster stays silent for a time before saying "Right. Right. We will take my truck and hide somewhere safe"

At the time, I couldn't help but notice the sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Denzel" Aster said "I need you to help the police in securing this area"

"Don't worry. Me and Jake can handle this"

"You're gonna need this. Just give it back when this is all over but I'll be needing my pistol"

Without another word, I traded Aster's rifle for his pistol and the 3 men drive off with the duchess in a truck

"Let's do this" Jake said, brandishing a submachinegun

"Where'd you get that?" I asked

"One of those guys gave me a gun"

I chuckled for a bit before me and my friend entered the fray

It only took 5 minutes before the attackers retreated

Surprisingly, there were no casualties, not a single person was hurt.

It was amazing actually… But I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong…

* * *

 **Somewhere in town**

 **7:30pm:**

"How much longer should we wait?!" the duchess complained "We have been in this random apartment for hours!"

"1 hour, ma'am" Aster retorted

"Don't act smart!" the duchess shouted "Where are the police?!"

Before Aster could say another word, the front door slowly opens

Suspicious, Aster prepares his pistol as his 2 men check the hallway

In a blitzkrieg-like fashion, several armed men flood the room, quickly pointing their weapons at the 3 town watchmen before they could react.

"My. My" Desmond said, entering the room "You really inconvenienced me today"

"Desmond" The duchess said with a hint of worry

"I think you know why I'm here" the gang leader said with a sinister smile

"So you're going to kill me, like what you did the others"

"Oh I won't do the killing" Desmond replied as he points a revolver at Aster's head "He will"

"What?!" the duchess said as Desmond spins the pistol around hands it to Aster, who promptly grabs it

"You're one of them?!" the duchess said "How dare you! A town watch chief, let alone a former member of the Militia would set this country's best interests aside to work for scum like Desmond!"

"Set my country's best interests aside?" Aster said as he pistol whips the duchess "You're one to talk. Hypocrite!"

"How dare you!"

"How dare me? How dare YOU! Putting up an image of a 'caring' politician! Well… I know what kind of person you really are and I won't be fooled!"

"What?!"

"Does the name Dupont ring a bell?"

"How did you-" the duchess said as Aster interrupted her mid-sentence with a bullet to the head

"That's for Elena" he said, spitting at the duchess body

"Nice work, Aster" Desmond said "I never pictured you to be a good actor"

"Well, I have my moments" Aster replied as everyone lowers their weapons "You should get going. The police will be here soon"

Aster then hands over the revolver

"You're right" Desmond replied, taking the revolver "But there's still one loose end"

"Us three, right?"

"Yep. You know what I should do, right?"

"I know. Do what you have to do"

Desmond nods as he shoots the 3 town watchmen in the legs with a 9mm pistol

The three men collapse to the ground

"See you around, Aster" Desmond said "And thanks again for the favor"

"Anything for a fellow orphan" Aster replied with a calm tone "Besides, I understand why you're doing this"

"Thanks… When this is all over, I'd like to buy you a drink"

"I'd like that"

"And I'd also like to go see Croix and the others"

"They would like that. Especially since it's been decades since they last saw their roommate"

Desmond smiles as Aster salutes

The gang leader then order his men to leave as the sounds of sirens can be heard in the distance

The last one to leave, Desmond, turns around saying "I'll keep in touch" before walking through the door.


	6. Ch 5: The October Plot

**October 19, 1940:**

 **Randgriz, Gallia**

 **9:30pm**

Desmond was taking a 'nightly walk' along the dark alleys of the capital.

It didn't take long for a tall bulky man to stand in his way.

"Nils" the gang leader said with a hint of confidence "Been a while"

"Desmond" the man responded "You've been quite the talk of the town lately"

"Well…" Desmond responded "I am loving the popularity"

"You know. Normally, people are quite festive this time of year. I wonder why the mood's different now…"

"I know, right? Speaking of festivities, I was actually looking for you, Nils"

"Me?"

"Yeah! I have a pretty interesting 'business' deal for you!"

"Really now? What if I'm not interested?"

"Oh come on, Nils. Just hear me out. You won't regret it"

"Sorry, Desmond. I have no interest in doing any kind of business with you"

As the man finishes his statement, several armed men emerge from the nearby buildings.

"Nils" Desmond said "Can we talk about this?"

"Afraid not" the man replied as his men aim their submachine guns

"Last chance, Nils. Are we gonna settle this peacefully?"

With a squint, Nils orders his men to seize the gang leader who utters "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…"

"Taking the shot" Rain said, over the radio, as she fires a bolt-action rifle from a nearby rooftop, hitting one of the men in the leg.

Desmond then draws his revolver and proceeded to shoot the remaining gang members in the shoulder followed by a punch to the stomach.

He did it with such speed that all 6 men were unable to even react.

As Nils calls for reinforcements, who quickly arrive, Aria emerges from the darkness.

Using an umbrella, she engages the gangsters in melee combat and outmatches all of them including those armed with knives as her umbrella proved to be harder than it looked.

"Nice moves, Aria" Desmond said, standing next to the Darcsen assassin "You haven't rusted a bit"

Oh why thank you" Aria responded flirtatiously "I do make sure that I maintain my figure"

"Pretty good shooting too, Rain" Desmond added

"Heh" the twin responded "Was there any doubt?"

With a sinister smile, Desmond faces Nils. "So are you willing to talk now?"

Angry, Nils shouts a battle cry and charges towards the gang leader, armed with a bowie knife and a 45 caliber pistol.

In response, Desmond prepares himself for the fight.

Nils attempted to stab the gang leader in the shoulder but the gang leader paced his left arm next to Nils' right hand and redirects it elsewhere, causing him to miss.

Desmond then uses his right palm to hit Nils' stomach, causing him to recoil.

The gang leader quickly moves behind Nils and kicks the backside of his right knee.

Despite being bigger than Desmond, Nils is easily forced to his knees.

With a revolver to his head, Nils stares angrily at his soon-to-be murderer

"Rot in hell" he uttered as Desmond pulls the trigger

But no bullet came out as it seemed that the chamber was empty.

"My. My" Desmond said, putting his gun down "Looks like it's your lucky day! Despite your rather dude response to my proposition, I'm still willing to let you in on my 'business' deal. By the way, let me explain this time or else…"

Desmond pauses, aims his revolver at a nearby wall and pulls the trigger, this time a bullet came out. "… You may not be so lucky next time"

* * *

 **2 days later:**

 **Randgriz Police HQ**

 **4:30pm:**

4 days to go before the anniversary and Edna was as restless as ever.

I understand how dire the situation was but come on, sitting in your office with a cigar on one hand and a cup of coffee on the other for days… That's just a recipe for a hospital trip.

"Edna…" Drifa said, entering the office "I think you should take a break"

"I can't" the Darcsen Officer replied "Crocker's planning something and I'm willing to bet a thousand ducat that he's gonna execute it by the 25th"

"You think he'll disrupt the celebration?"

"I don't know but people are getting scared. With several noblemen dead, not to mention other seemingly random victims, II wouldn't blame the people for creating such an atmosphere…"

"Yeah… Randgriz, alone, has been pretty gloomy lately"

"So we have to ctach him before the 25th!"

"Edna…" Drifa muttered as the room falls silent, which was quickly broken when a police officer bursts through the door. "Lieutenant!"

"What is it?" Drifa asked

"Desmond Crocker!" the officer replied "He's robbing the Randgriz National Bank!"

Drifa turns around and sees Edna squinting.

"We move. NOW!" she said as she stands up and grabs her service pistol

* * *

 **½ hour later:**

 **Vicinity of Randgriz National Bank:**

Police cars surround the bank as a standoff ensues between the officers and Desmond's gang.

"What's the situation?" Edna asked one of the officers

"5 shooters inside, all armed, with submachine guns. There are also about 3 hostages"

"Is Desmond Crocker in there?"

"Yes. We have confirmed Desmond Crocker is inside the building"

"Give me a room report on the shooters' positions"

It looked like history repeated itself as police officers once again surround Desmond and his gang at the exact same place he was caught 10 years before.

"The front, back, and sides are tightly guarded…" Drifa said, looking at the map

"Yes but…" Edna responded "They're scattered. A blitz should catch em off guard. Where are the hostages?"

"We're not same" the officer replied "But our scouts have narrowed their possible location to either the back offices or behind the teller counters"

"That means they're at the way back" Drifa said

"Where's Desmond Crocker?"

"He's most likely inside the vault, bagging the money" the officer answered

"The book…" Edna said, looking at the blueprint "Is it tightly guarded?"

"Not so much. Save for one shooter is on the roof" the officer answered

"One shooter… I have you now, Desmond"

"So what's your plan?" Drifa asked

"There's a vent at the back of the building. It leads to the back offices. All I need is a small elite team"

Drifa smiles as she meets Edna's gaze.

* * *

Nightfall and the situation remained unchanged.

Under the cover of darkness, Edna, Drifa, and a small team of elite officers slowly towards their objective.

They leaned at the wall as the guard emerges from the roof.

The officers stood there silent for a good 5 minutes before the guard moves away.

Acting fast, Edna boosts Drifa up, who opens a vent and proceeds to crawl inside.

Minutes later, Drifa quietly opens the back door, enabling the officers to enter.

"Where are the hostages?" Edma whispered

"Not in the back offices" Drifa answered "I spotted one by the teller counters"

"Shit… That complicates things. How about the guards?"

"2 by the entrance and 1 in the teller counters"

"They're awfully few in number"

"I know… But this is Desmond"

"True… Alright, we slowly move to the teller counters. On my go, I want all 3 shooters restrained. Me and Drifa will go for the hostages, the rest of you go for the 2 guards by the entrance"

"Right" Everyone responded as they slowly made their way to the teller counters.

With everyone in position, Edna brings out her radio

"Do it" she whispered

"Hey!" One of the shooters by the entrance shouted "Don't come any closer!"

"Now!" Edna shouted as she and her squad emerge from cover.

She quickly tackles the lone hostage taker to the ground as other officers swarm in

Drifa and Edna then made their way to the vault

"Desmond!" Edna shouted pointing her gun

"Well if it isn't the rookie" the gang leader said with a smirk

"It's over, you bastard!"

"Over? You think all because you manage to surround me, I'll give up just that?"

Edna narrows her eyes and with an itchy trigger finger, inches closer to the criminal.

Without warning, Desmond throws a grenade.

"Shit!" Drifa and Edna exclaimed as they jumped out of the vault

The duo quickly realize that it was a dud.

"Child's play" Desmond said as he quickly closes the distance to the duo

He punches Edna in the stomach as he blocks an attack from Drifa.

He redirects Drifa's fist and attempts to punch her

The police officer grabs his fist and throws the gang leader.

Desmond quickly recovers and resumes his assault.

The fight did not last long as more officers enter the room.

Seeing the vast number of adversaries, Desmond surrenders.

To the surprise and relief of the country, Desmond, the infamous serial murderer and gang leader, was finally under police custody.

News of his arrest spread like wildfire and it seemed Gallia was rejuvenated as the streets were filled with people once again.

* * *

 **Randgriz Police Department; Interrogation room**

Immediately after his arrest, Desmond was interrogated by none other than Edna, herself.

But days have passed and the gang leader has yet to speak a word… until that fateful day

"Damn it Desmond!" Edna shouted slamming the table "For how long are you gonna keep quiet?!"

Desmond smirks, staring at her, Drifa, and 2 officers in the room.

Annoyed, Edna sighs as she slides a folder to Desmond. "Let's do this again"

"You're wasting your breath, 'lieutenant'" the gang leader defiantly said "Even if I do talk, your pretty little brain won't be able to comprehend it. So I'll save you the headaches"

"You think you're funny, don't you?! Even if you don't talk, we can still-"

"Edna…" Drifa said, grabbing the officer's shoulder

The Darcsen officer quickly calms down and proceeded to the door

"Hey!" Desmond said before the officer exits the room "What day is it?"

"What?"

"What's the date?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Well being cooped up in a jail cell for days makes you lose your sense of time, you know…"

Walking a bit closer, Edna stares at the criminal before saying "October 25"

"Ah. So I reckon people are on a festive mood?"

"Huh?"

"And with everyone so merry right now, the streets should be filled with them. Our little archduchess isn't scared of going outside anymore, right?"

"What are you-"

"So we can expect that she'll be making a speech near the castle?"

Edna's eyes widen as she slowly realizes something. "You're a diversion…"

Desmond gives a sinister smile

"Shit… Shit!" Edna shouted as she quickly turns to the door "We have to hurry and warn-"

But before she could finish, the 2 officers in the room point their pistols at Edna and Drifa.

"You see, officer" Desmond said as he stands up and walks to the 2 officers "In chess, one of the winning strategies involves either sacrificing a piece or 2 or simply using them as bait to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. Once that happens… checkmate"

One of the 2 officers then undoes the gang leader's cuffs

"Rain. Aria" He said "Thank you"

The 2 officers then remove their caps, revealing their identities.

Desmond then puts handcuffs on Edna's and Drifa's legs then used another to cuff them to a wall.

"I hope you enjoy the show" the gang leader said as he approaches an angry Edna "It's one that the people of Gallia will never forget"

Desmond then pistol whips both women, knocking them unconscious.

With that, Desmond and his cohorts made their escape.


	7. Ch 6: To Kill a Monarch

"Hundreds of people gather by Castle Randgriz as Archduchess Cordelia is about to give her speech commemorating the 5th anniversary of the peace treaty between Gallia and the Empire"

I sat there listening to the radio as an optimistic atmosphere once again permeates the country.

"With the arrest of the infamous gang leader, Desmond Crocker, all seems pretty bright and lively!"

I continued to do my work as usual, sitting in front of my typewriter, pressing the buttons as the piles of paper never seem to lessen.

It didn't take long for me to hear the Archduchess' voice in the radio.

"Finally some peace…" I thought as I continued typing

To my surprise, I hear the Archduchess introduce the Imperial Ambassador. I chuckled a bit since I find it kind of funny that the Empire would want to celebrate the 5th anniversary of their failed invasion…

But my thoughts were quickly cut off as I heard a gunshot echo through the radio and the screams of countless panicked civilians spread throughout the room.

I guess the radio station was as confused as we were since the broadcast was cut.

It was nothing but dead air for the next few minutes. Me and my colleagues simply sat there as we all nervously awaited any developments on the situation.

Then, my boss, Mr. Albert Pierre, enters the room. He seemed a bit nervous.

"Denzel" he said quickly approaching me "you come with me"

"Wh-What?" I wondered as I followed my boss, who was walking really fast

Without a word, I jumped into his car and he drives off at a rather fast pace.

As the streets fly past my eyes, the car's radio comes to life and the voice that echoes through sent chills down my spine… It was Desmond

"What the hell is happening…?" I asked myself

* * *

 **Some time ago**

 **Randgriz Police HQ:**

"Edna! Edna!"

The Darcsen officer grunts as she feels some kind of pain in her head. "Drifa?"

"Edna. We gotta move!"

"Oh right… Right! Desmond! That son of a bitch!"

Edna slowly rises from the floor. She steels herself as she feels a minor concussion. "What's the situation?"

"Not good. Some of Desmond's men are inside and have everyone else detained"

"You did some recon?"

"Yeah. I regained consciousness first and after prying these cuffs open, I did some recon on the station"

"Impressive. So how many hostiles?"

"They're fairly few, about 4-6 of em by the prison cells"

"That's careless of Desmond… Then again, he's someone we shouldn't underestimate… But we don't have time! Let's neutralize those bastards and stop Desmond's plot!"

I won't go into much detail since it's the same old du who sneak through an area, knockout everyone and rescue the hostages.

Same story short, Edna and Drifa neutralize Desmond's men and mobilize the remainder of the police force to combat the coming threat!

 **Castle Randgriz; Square:**

The area around Castle Randgriz was filled with so many people and cheers echoed throughout.

They got even louder as Archduchess Cordelia emerges from the castle, with her was several noblemen & women, and the Imperial Ambassador.

The cries died down as the Archduchess approaches the podium.

"People of Gallia. 5 years ago, we were at war and it was on this day that won this peace! And now, 5 years later, I am proud to introduce to you all Ambassador Edward of the Imperial Alliance. He is here today to celebrate not only the anniversary of our peace but also to strengthen the friendship between our 2 great nations!"

The duchess walks back as the ambassador takes the podium and begins his speech.

It didn't take long for Desmond to strike as, without warning, a loud bang echoes throughout the square and a bullet drifts through the Imperial ambassador's head.

Armed gangsters emerge from the cars and alleys

They quickly over power the guards, taking several officials, including the archduchess herself, hostage.

* * *

Edna and a handful of officers arrive on the scene

"Shit!" she said as some of the gangsters open fire on her and her squad "We're too late!"

Armed with a submachinegun, Edna and several officers return fire while Drifa, armed with a .45 caliber pistol, and a small detachment tries to get closer to the castle walls, out of range from the gangsters

She succeeds and catches most of the gangsters off-guard.

She and her squad incapacitate the first line of defenders as Edna and her squad moves forward.

Pinned down by the gate, Edna, Drifa, and the officers continue to engage the next line of defenders

Despite the sound of gunfire echoing throughout the area, Drifa hears a metallic object striking the ground

She turns to her left seeing a cylindrical object rolling to the center of the officers

"Grenade!" she shouts as the grenade detonates and the officers are blinded by a flash of light as well as a loud bang piercing their ear drums

Aria emerges from the corner and knocks out several officers before engaging Drifa, who recovered quickly.

"Well. Well" Aria said as she parries one of Drifa's attacks "If it isn't little Hana. How have you been?"

"Aira" Drifa responded "I'm not so little anymore!"

The 2 combatants were of equal strength as they easily parry or dodge one another's attacks

"Can we hurry this up?"

"What's the rush, Aria? Not up for a little spar?"

"Not really" the criminal responded as several armed men surround Drifa "I have a very strict schedule to keep"

* * *

 **A few minutes later:**

Edna, Drifa, and other officers were brought before Desmond

"Desmond!" Edna shouted "You no-good piece of shit!"

The gang leader smiles as some of his men drag the Archduchess to him

"Desmond!" Edna shouted again

But the gang leader was silent as he drags the Archduchess to the stage

To Edna's horror, she sees several political figures tied up and kneeling on the stage

That was when the broadcast began…

"People of Gallia!" The gang leader said "You have all been cheated and lied to! These 'noble' men and women here claim to know what is best for you, your family, and this country. Well I say that's bullshit! These snakes here have done nothing but plunder Gallia's resources while feeding the rest of you with crap that most of you sheepishly eat! That is why I'm here!"

He pauses as I hear several gunshots

"To clean this country up and make you all realize the kind of crap you've been eating for a while now. Take this one for example"

"No! No!" a male voice shouted over the radio

"This is Jaune von Oppenheim. To most of you, sheep, he's a charitable and selfless 'nobleman'. But did you know that this pathetic excuse for a human being manipulated his way to the top? This bastard caused the suffering of countless innocents, and that includes a couple of 'unsolved' murders"

"No!" the nobleman cried out "It's not my fault! I-"

"See, ladies and gentlemen" the gang leader interrupted "Even now, this worm still thinks he can talk his way out of this! He actually thinks I'm dumb enough to buy his shitty excuses! Unfortunately for you, Mr. Oppenheim, I am not as gullible as you think!"

"Wait!" the nobleman cried before I heard another gunshot

"And now" Desmond said with a hint of glee "Last and certainly not the least, 'Duchess Cordelia'"

I could feel a shiver go down my spine as I heard the Archduchess' name

"You disappoint me, your 'highness'" Desmond said "I respected the way you led Gallia since 1935. But, alas, you changed just a year after the civil war and became a kissup. Tell me, do you kneel down and kiss the feet of your Imperial Masters?"

Desmond stops and chuckles a bit

"That's right folks. Our little archduchess has slowly been selling this country out to the Imperial Bastards of the East. And you were all so oblivious of this! I wonder why none of you have noticed the change in our little duchess?"

I could feel my heart pound with anxiety as I continue to hear Desmond's speech

I can't remember for how long he did it but it felt like hours.

"People of Gallia!" Desmond continued "You are all sheep! Going about your lives, not caring on the things that are happening around you so long as you or your families are unaffected! You are a fool if that is what your mentality dictates and that will lead to our country's ruin! Now I will show to you all how sheepish you all are!"

Another gunshot… It doesn't take a genius to know that Desmond executed the Archduchess…

The radio went dead after that and I sat there, in the car, stunned as my boss was clearly distressed and stepped on the gas hard.

* * *

"DESMOND!" Edna shouted angrily as she struggles to break free

The gang leader walks closer to the stunned police officers and royal guards

"You bastard!" Edna shouted

"Everything that happens has a reason" Desmond replied

"What the hell are you spouting now, you bastard!?"

"Take this one and Drifa with me. The rest stay here and secure the area. And can someone clean up those bodies"

The gangsters follow Desmond's command as he, Edna, Drifa, Rain, Aria, and a couple of gangsters enter Castle Randgriz

* * *

 **Riverwood Town Hall**

 **2:30PM:**

As my boss parks the car, he quickly bolted into town hall

With me close behind, my boss bursts into the town watchmen's office

"Chief Claes!" my boss said "Why am are there sandbags and machine guns around the town?"

"This is one of the border towns in Gallia, Minister" Aster replied sarcastically

"Don't use that tone on me! I am the Minister of Defense and you WILL explain to me why your town is seemingly preparing for war despite getting no approval from me?"

"Are we? Why are you so nervous, Minister?"

"I-I'm not nervous at all and stop dodging the question!"

"You know, I find it weird that you went here of all places. Why are you here 'sir'?"

"Wh-Why?! Th-That doesn't matter! Tell your men to stand down!"

"Why? So that your Imperial friends can roll through the border with their tanks again?"

I was shocked to hear that accusation and I saw a hint of worry in my boss' eyes

"Wh-What are you-" he said

"Oh" Aster interrupted "Or are you concerned perhaps that your radio transmissions are being jammed?"

My boss didn't respond. I, on the other hand, was getting nervous as I couldn't understand what was going on but based on how the situation was unfolding, there was something more to what is happening than what everyone is letting on…

"I'm quite surprised" Aster continued "You managed to pinpoint the jamming source here… You guys move fast"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" My boss nervously said

"We're wasting our time" Aster said as he quickly fires his .45 caliber pistol, hitting my boss' knee

He collapses to the floor in pain as I attempted to help him

"Back away, Denzel" Aster said pointing the pistol at me

"Why are you doing this?" I asked

"Back. Away" Aster responded slowly

I complied as Aster moves closer to my boss

"This man, along with many others, have been manipulating Gallia in the shadows for years now"

"What do you mean?"

"They took control of the government and have been conspiring with the Imperials for another invasion"

My eyes widen as I hear the revelation…

I find it ironic that on the day where our country won its peace was the same day our country would return to the war…

* * *

 **Castle Randgriz; Dungeons:**

Desmond, Edna, Drifa, Rain, and Aria descended into the dark dungeons below the castle

Upon reaching the basement level, the officers quickly notice that the guards were behind bars and unconscious

They soon reach a big steel door

"What?" Edna sarcastically said "Don't want to waste a bullet on me?!"

Desmond gives Edna an annoyed look and knocks on the door

Noone responds

Desmond then nods as Rain opens the door with a key.

As the doors open, Edna and Drifa's eyes widen as they see the prisoner inside

"…Your highness?!" both officers uttered.


	8. Ch 7: Battle of Riverwood

**October 27, 1940**

I never thought I'd be writing a journal again… I remember writing a journal for back in 1935 because I don't know what would happen next and for some reason, writing helps me maintain my sanity…

And now, here I am writing another journal, once again thrust into a bloody war

Hard to believe that it's been 2 days, all of which I spent in a jail cell, since Aster shot my boss.

At least his men gave the boss the proper medical care before incarcerating us both.

Day 2. Aster decided release me. I guess he realized that I absolutely had no clue on what happened…

Actually, I still don't know what's going on other than Archduchess Cordelia is dead and Aster & his men are accomplices of Desmond's plot. Not to mention, the town is under attack from Imperial forces.

Oh god… Does this mean the Second Europan War made it back to Gallia?

* * *

 **October 28, 1940**

 **6:30am**

I woke today to the sound of mortar fire, not to mention the earth was shaking around me.

Another Imperial assault… Frankly, I'm amazed that the town managed to hold for 3 days

Despite the Imperials pushing us back to the Market District, we still managed to create a formidable defense.

"Hold the LINE!" Aster shouted as bullets and grenades fly around us

"Aster!" I said, firing my rifle "I know it's late but why are we fighting the Imperials?"

"This fight's been a long time coming!" he responded "The so-called peace we won 5 years ago was nothing more than a ruse! The empire couldn't afford to fight on 2 fronts, let alone have 2 enemies. But now, they regrouped and are ready to try again!"

"So what? You're telling me Desmond Crocker saved Gallia?!"

"Pretty much"

I wanted to object to that but Aster's attention was diverted to his radio

"Aster!" a female voice said

"What's up, Sonia?" he responded "How are you holding up?"

"I need reinforcements! There's a lot of these bastards in the tunnels!"

"Shit… That explains why we have less resistance up top… Denzel!"

"What?" I asked hiding behind cover

"I'm sending you along with a small detachment to the underground tunnels! We can't lose that point!"

"What's so important about those tunnels?" I asked

"If the Imperials take the tunnels, we'll be fighting on 2 sides with no means of escape!"

As if I had any choice… So I, along with about 4 other town watchmen, went down to the underground tunnels.

It was as if an earthquake was occurring as the tunnels were shaking quite violently

Actually, I was a bit afraid that the tunnels would collapse and trap me underground…

Eventually, we reached this Darcsen woman who seemed to be leading the town watchmen underground

I quickly hid behind the makeshift barricade she made

"I don't recognize you" the Darcsen woman said "Are you my reinforcements?"

"Yes!" I answered "My name is Denzel!"

"Denzel huh… Nice to meet you brother. I'm Sonia"

"Nice to meet you too, sister"

There's always that sense of pride and happiness when I meet a fellow Darcsen. I guess this is the 'Darcsen Pride' that many of my fellow Darcsen have said over the years…

That, plus my desire to live, really helped me in this fight

Looking back, I'm reminded once again of my time in militia and army

Especially the army… Because it was where I first met her… And it was also where I lost her…

Me, Sonia, and the others fought valiantly against the seemingly endless waves of Imperial troops

Hours later, the Imperials retreated.

I was quite happy when I saw the soldiers turn their backs on us

"Don't celebrate just yet" Sonia said tapping my back

"What? Why?"

Sonia brings out her radio

"Good work everyone!" Aster said over the radio "But don't relax just yet! This is just our breakfast! We still got lunch and dinner! Keep your wits up everyone! We'll get through this!"

"They're just regrouping…" Sonia added

When she said that my heart sank a bit

This ordeal isn't over but at least we have a chance to breathe

* * *

 **12:30PM**

The orphanage was turned into a makeshift hospital as wounded town watchmen and civilians were being brought in.

I noticed Sonia and Aster comforting some orphans, who were very anxious as the place echoed with the screams of the injured men and women.

"We have too many casualties…" Sonia said "Should we consider retreat?"

"Abandoning Riverwood a second time…" Aster uttered, clenching his fist

"I know it's hard… But I think Croix would have done it"

"Croix…"

Aster ponders for a moment before letting out a sigh

"Alright" he said "Begin evacuation. Start with the injured and civilians. Sonia, I need you to-"

"Don't say it! I'm coming with you"

"…Fine… Nevertheless, I hope we bought enough time…"

"You're worried about her huh…"

"Is it obvious?"

"We are fighting the Imperial Army afterall… Besides, you have the same look Croix has when he was worried"

"Hehe… I guess some parts of Croix kinda rubbed off on me…"

Sonia and Aster chuckled but Sonia was the first to stop, noticing a tear fall down Aster's face

"But" Aster continued "I'm fine. It's been 5 years… Can't mope forever. And about Emilia… I'm sure she's fine"

"Aster…" Sonia muttered

"Let's go. Those Imperials could come back any minute now…"

Aster then walks away as Sonia goes to a nearby table.

She grabs a picture frame, in it was a group photo of some familiar people

"Croix…" Sonia muttered "Everyone… Please watch over Aster"

* * *

 **1:00PM**

Aster decided to begin evacuating the town, starting with the wounded while the rest of us would buy them sometime to escape

We wasted no time in fortifying the town. This was our last stand

I was assigned to help out in the market district, which was near a tunnel entrance

The plan was to holdout as long as we could and use the underground tunnels to escape while another team detonates the explosives on the main roads to block the roads going uphill and hopefully delay the Imperial's advance to city hall

We took positions at around 1:30 and the Imperial assault resumed not long after

This was the most intense wave yet!

The Imperials were hell bent on capturing the town with this final wave

I was with Sonia and Aster taking cover right in the middle of the market district, near a statue of several individuals

"They've gotten serious!" I uttered firing my rifle

"I guess they want this town more than ever!" Aster responded, firing his rifle

"Sir!" a town watchman shouted from across the street "Tank!"

Just as he said, several Imperial tanks barrel through some of the buildings

One tank fires upon the 2 town watchmen, killing both.

"Oh shit…" Sonia uttered as Aster picks up his radio

"Edgar!" Aster said "Have you evacuated everyone yet?"

"We've almost evacuated sir!" the man replied "Just a few more minutes!"

"Incoming!" I shouted as everybody hit the deck

A tank shell hits the statue in the middle, severely damaging it

Aster quickly looked at the statue

He was clearly angry

"BASTARDS!" he shouted as he fires his rifle

"Aster!" Sonia said grabbing Aster's shoulder "We don't have time for this! We have to retreat!"

"You're right…" Aster replied, quickly regaining his composure "Have everyone retreat to the 2nd line!"

The Imperial forces were slowly overpowering us

We had no choice but to retreat into the tunnels and detonate the explosives with Imperial infantry close behind

We shifted between running, shooting, and taking cover

It was a grueling experience. What really stuck by me was when one of the town watchmen was shot in the leg

A 7.62mm round drilled through his left upper leg. I can still remember the blood splashing on my face, not to mention his screams as Aster comes to his aid

"Everyone!" he shouted dragging the injured town watchman "Cover me!"

Of course, we complied but the Imperials just kept coming despite our fierce resistance.

Minutes later, we reached a metal sliding door but the Imperials were dangerously close

"Hold them off!" Aster commanded as he drags the injured town watchman through the door

It was really hard getting an accurate shot. I never fought in a cave before. There were those nightly raids my squad did back in 1935 and 1937 but caves feel a bit different for some reason…

After another few minutes of fighting, we managed to lock the door behind us

"That should buy us some time" Aster said as he tends to the wounded town watchman "I need some help here!"

I could hear the Imperials banging on the metal door, attempting to break it open

"Guys…" I uttered

"Faster!" Aster said "We gotta get this over with and fast!"

"Sir…" the town watchman said "Leave me behind… I'm only slowing everyone down…"

"Shut up!" Aster replied "You're gonna make it out of here! Do you hear me?! You're gonna live!"

We only brought a couple of bandages but this was not enough to help our cause as he still had a hard time walking

"We need a stretcher!" Sonia said

"Where do we get one?" I asked

"From the orphanage… But we don't have time to go there and back"

"Sir…" the town watchman said "Please…"

"You fucking shut up!" Aster responded "You WILL get out of here! ALIVE!"

Once again, I only stood there as I watched Aster struggle to tend the town watchman's injuries

I saw them again… Images of her…

I was reminded of that day in 1937… The day she died right in front of me and I couldn't do anything to stop it

It made me sick… I wonder… What could I have done to help remedy the situation… Even by a bit…

"Who's there?!" Sonia said quickly turning behind her

Sonia's sudden stern voice woke me back to reality

Following her lead, I turned around and aimed my rifle down the tunnel but there was nobody there

"I know you're there" Sonia continued "Show yourself"

A figure emerged from the sides of the tunnel

It was a woman, dressed in Imperial fatigues

"Imperial!" I said preparing to fire

"Wait!" Aster shouted "Don't shoot!"

That caught me off-guard. Aster was suddenly telling everyone to not shoot this Imperial soldier.

"Emilia?" Sonia uttered

"H-Hey…" Emilia awkwardly responded

"Emilia!" Aster said "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about the army's intent on invading Gallia. So I went with the battalion headed to Riverwood so that I can meet you"

Aster smiles. "Well… It's nice to see you again, Emilia"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Um guys…" I interrupted "What's going on here?"

"Oh right" Aster responded "Denzel, this is Emilia. Don't worry. She's friendly"

"Ok…" I replied "So what do we do now?"

"We need to carry this man" Aster replied "It's gonna hurt a lot but we don't have a stretcher"

"Well… You're clumsy as always" Emilia said

Aster laughs awkwardly while scratching the back of his head

Emilia sighs. "You haven't changed"

She then brings out a splint and dresses the man's wounds

"Come on" she said as she lends her left shoulder to the man with Aster lending his right "We don't have much time!"

* * *

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this lone Imperial woman, a soldier no less, managed to go around our lines and sneak behind us… Makes me wonder what happened to the other teams

Nevertheless, she helped us reach town hall.

However, the town watchmen have yet to evacuate the last of the injured as the Imperials have already broken through the blockade

"Shit!" Aster said "The Imperials have broken through the blockade faster than we thought!"

"What do we do?" I asked

"We give them hell! We have to buy everyone more time!"

And so we loaded the injured town watchman into the trucks and proceeded to form a perimeter around town hall

In the battle, I noticed Emilia was only armed with a P38 pistol, kinda weird for an Imperial soldier to only have a pistol… Not to mention that she was fighting her own countrymen

It was 5 minutes of ferocious fighting as the last of the injured was finally loaded into the last truck

"That's our window!" Aster said throwing a grenade "Let's get the hell outta here and-"

"TANK!" Sonia shouted as an Imperial tank fires a shell, missing the truck

"Fuck!" Aster said as he picks up his radio "Get out! We'll find our own way out! GO NOW!"

The truck driver complied and left

So the 4 of us were left behind as more Imperial soldiers and tanks appear

"So how do exactly are we getting out?" Emilia asked firing her pistol

"Uh… Yeah…" Aster awkwardly responded

Emilia sighs. "Again… You haven't changed…"

"Yeah…" Aster replied "First things first I guess. We have to take care of those tanks or we'll never leave this town alive!"

"Ok" Emilia replied "Got any anti-tank lances on you?"

"They're in town hall! Let's make a break for it!"

"Oh son of a… God you're still a hopeless idiot…"

And so we were forced to retreat back into town hall but there were only 4 lances left.

We each distributed it to one another and got into position on the first floor.

I saw one tank aim at us.

I quickly grabbed my lance and fired it without properly aiming it

I was lucky actually. The rocket damaged the tank's hull.

The Imperials retaliated with a hail of machine gun fire

For another few minutes, we were embroiled in another intense firefight. Eventually, we all used our respective lances to destroy most of the tanks but we managed to drive the Imperials into the defensive

"Alright!" Aster said "Let's get outta here!"

But as we started to escape, Emilia suddenly aimed her pistol at Aster

"What the?" Aster said in shock "What are you doing, Emilia?"

Without a word, Emilia shot Aster in the left shoulder

"Emilia!" Sonia uttered as an Imperial squad bursts inside

"Emilia…"Aster said looking at his wound "…Why?"

"You're all surrounded" Emilia said "Surrender"

Everyone was in shock over Emilia's betrayal. Noone was moving a muscle

That was when I noticed an Imperial jeep park just in front of the hall.

I signaled Sonia, who promptly nods at Aster

Surprisingly, those two easily understood what I meant…

"Emilia!" Aster said "Why? Why are you doing this?"

But Emilia didn't reply. She gave a cold expression

I saw that Aster was clearly distressed

"I'm sorry it's come to this…" he muttered as he grabs Emilia by the arm and throws her to the ground

Sonia and me quickly draw our pistols and shot down all of the Imperials inside

Injured, Aster bursts through the front door, shooting the lone Imperial soldier by the jeep

We quickly hijack the jeep and made our escape as the Imperials kept firing at us

Despite suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder, Aster drove the jeep.

* * *

Aster was quiet during the first few minutes…

Well I couldn't blame him… He was betrayed by his friend

The shock must have hit him so hard…

"Aster…" I said before I hear a loud buzzing sound

I looked behind me and saw 2 distant figures in the sky

They quickly closed the distance and I immediately realized that they were Imperial I-16 fighters

"Imperial planes!" I shouted as Sonia and Aster look behind them

The I-16s released a barrage of machine gun fire on us as they fly overhead.

I quickly manned the mounted machine gun and started firing at the planes

But I knew that this lone machine gun won't be able to take down those planes but at least it would make them more cautious in their approach

Aster quickly took evasive maneuvers as the planes continue to harass us

"Hold on!" he shouted as he wildly drives the jeep, avoiding the machine gun fire

Despite his efforts, Aster couldn't dodge them forever

A few bullets punctures the jeep's wheels sending it out of control

The jeep swerved and eventually toppled over

We were throw to the ground

The jeep lands upside down and all 3 of us were on the grass, at the mercy of the Imperial planes

As the 2 planes sweep down, ready to gun us down, several machine gun rounds fly past us hitting the enemy planes, causing them to crash just in front of us

Another 2 planes then fly overhead. I guess they were the ones that saved us

It was at that moment that an armored vehicle and a tank, both bearing the Gallian Army insignia, came

It was a timely rescue and I find myself quite lucky to even be able to write this journal, let alone be able to breathe.

On another note, I later found out that the planes that rescued us weren't Gallian at all.

In fact, they were Federation Hawker Hurricanes…

As I end this chapter in my journal, I just have one question: What is the Federation doing here in Gallia?


	9. Ch 8: Desmond Crocker

"Those who eat up just about anything the newspapers and radios throw at them are nothing more than pathetic dogs that are easily fooled by the swing of a treat. The people behind these things lie and they lie pretty convincingly"

-Desmond Crocker

The world isn't as simple as we all are led to believe. A lot of news agencies like to present the world, especially politics, as simply being black and white; a constant battle of good and evil. But after all that had happened, I realized just how naïve so many of us are. The world is much more colorful than what many of us believe and I think many of us know this.

And yet, we choose to look at the world in greyscale… Why?

* * *

 **Arlem Region**

 **1917:**

"Desmond. Desmond" A middle-aged woman said softly to a young boy "Wake up"

Half-awake, the boy replied "Mama…?"

"Shhh" the mother said as she helps the young boy up "Listen to me carefully. Take your sister and hide in the cellar. Whatever happens, don't make any noise or come out until it's safe. Do you understand?"

Confused, the young Desmond could only say "What? What's going on, Mama?"

"There's no time. Please. Take your sister and hide!"

"A-Alright…"

The boy followed his mother's orders and took his little sister to the cellar door, hidden under the staircase.

"What's going on?" the little sister asked

"I don't know…" Desmond responded "I'll take a look but mama told us to keep quiet so you know what you should do right?"

"Yes! I'll keep quiet"

"Good… I'll go see what's going on"

Desmond quietly went for the cellar door and slowly opened it.

He only saw parts of the living room as his father comes bursting through the door.

"Filbert!" his mother said rushing to her husband "Your arm!"

"I'm ok" his father replied "Just a 9mm to my arm. Nothing serious"

"So they are here"

"Unfortunately… I'm sorry this happened, Lourdes… I didn't know that the conspiracy reached as high as the nobility… Did you hide the kids?"

"Yes. They're hidden. And it's not your fault, Filbert. It's not"

Desmond was only a little kid back then. He wanted to burst through that door and run to his father's side but a part of him knew that he had to stay hidden.

Before he could do anything, several armed men burst through the same door, among them was a tall man with an unusual haircut.

"Maurits von Borg…" Desmond's father said

"Well. Well" the man said brandishing a pistol "Had you only just kept quiet and not meddled in the business of other people, you and your family would have lived but unfortunately, you did the opposite"

"Fuck you! The Duke won't let this treachery go lightly!"

"The Duke? You mean that fool who's trying to release this country from the Empire and leave it to be crushed between two giants?"

"Better that than be lapdogs!"

"Haha! You are a funny man, Mr. Crocker. I would love to hear more of these but I have a strict schedule. The Empire is mobilizing and they'll be occupying this area very soon and I do not want to be seen with Imperial troops"

Borg then shot Desmond's father and Mother.

They were still alive and the man took some time to torture them.

"Desmond?" the little sister said "What's going on?"

"Kiara" Desmond whispered "Be quiet. There are monsters outside. They'll eat us if we make a sound"

"O-Ok!"

With Desmond's sister going to back of the room, the young boy turns around and continues to watch in horror as Borg reloads his pistol.

Seconds later, two more shots are heard and Desmond's parents fall silent.

"Search the house" Borg commanded "They have two children, a boy and girl. Reunite them with their parents, will you?"

Borg's men then search the house as Desmond closes the cellar door.

From what I heard, Desmond wept silently but his sadness was quickly replaced by anger.

An anger that would fuel his hatred for all nobles.

Minutes pass and Desmond has yet to be sure that it was safe enough to get out of the cellar.

Suddenly, Borg's men began shouting, their voices echoing around the cellar walls.

Desmond slowly opens the cellar door, making sure he would not be noticed.

"The Imperials are here!" one of Borg's men shouted

"Already?!" Borg responded "Faster than I thought… Did any of you find the children?"

"No, sir" another one of his men responded

"… No matter. We cannot afford to be seen with the Imperials. Those children will be killed in the crossfire between the two armies. Let's go!"

Borg's men quickly leaves the house as the Gallians and Imperials began their skirmish.

Thinking that the area is clear, Desmond slowly opened the door and slowly walked to his parents, both lying in a combined pool of their own blood.

"Mama… Papa…" he muttered as he grabs his father's M1917 revolver "I'll find a safe place for Kiara… And I'll avenge you… I swear it"

The young boy's attention was then turned to one of Borg's men, who was left behind.

"Hey!" the man said as Desmond quickly pulls the trigger of the revolver

"What?!" the boy uttered as the revolver did not fire a bullet

The man quickly fires a burst from his Mags submachinegun.

Desmond quickly jumps to the wall and goes to the kitchen, with the man in hot pursuit.

The man quickly closes the distance between him and the boy.

Desperate, Desmond grabs a kitchen knife and stabs the man in the leg.

The man recoils but manages to punch Desmond to the ground.

"Playtime's over kid…" The man said cocking his gun "Don't worry. You'll see your parents again… real soon"

Having nothing to lose, Desmond turns around and quickly pulls the trigger of the revolver.

This time, a bullet comes out and drills through the man's chest, killing him instantly.

Desmond sat there, stunned and hyperventilating for a moment as the reality of him killing someone began to sink in.

But the sound of more gunfire and mortars brought the young boy back to reality.

Finally composing himself, Desmond quickly made his way to his parents' room and finds ammunition for his father's gun.

He reloads the revolver and quickly packs his and his sister's things and some supplies.

Desmond quickly came back to his sister in the cellar

"Is it over?" his sister asked

"Yeah" Desmond answered while still shaking a bit

"Where are mama and papa?"

"They're…uh… I don't know… But we have to go"

"Why?"

"Because… Mama told me to keep you safe and it's not safe anymore"

"Ok…"

Desmond and his sister escaped the house through the back door while Desmond made sure that his sister did not see the bodies of their parents.

They soon found themselves, literally, in the middle of the battle.

Desmond grabs his sister's hand and races through the battlefield, going towards the Gallian side as many civilians are being evacuated by the Gallian Army, killing a few Imperial soldiers along the way.

Minutes later, they were safely evacuated by the army and taken to a refugee camp in Yuell.

Inside the truck, Desmond hugs his little sister as tears begin to run down his face

"Desmond?" his sister asked "Why are you crying? Where's mama and papa?"

"Kiara…" Desmond said "… Mama and Papa will be gone for a while… In the meantime, I'll take care of you. Right now, we're going to the city where it's safe"

"Oh ok… I hope we can see mama and papa soon"

Desmond wipes the tears from his face and tries to smile. "Me too, Kiara… Me too…"

One year later, the First Europan War ended with Gallia managing to secede from the Empire.

Young Desmond and his little sister were then taken to an orphanage in Riverwood.

 **Outskirts of Riverwood**

 **1922:**

For the next few years, Desmond lived a normal carefree life with his little sister and their newfound friends; Croix, Paul, Cooper, Morris, Rupert, and Aster.

From what I was told, they were very close and were a troublesome bunch back in the day but they were nice children all in all and Desmond actually forgot the promise he made to his parents. The promise to avenge their deaths…

Unfortunately for him, destiny would remind him of this promise…

* * *

Desmond, Kiara, Croix, and the others were doing their usual antics by the river.

"Desmond! Guys!" Kiara said as she wades by the water "Come on! The water's great!"

"Your sister's really energetic…" Croix said as he ran to Kiara "Race you guys there!"

"Hey!" Aster said as he began to run "No fair! You had a head start!"

"Typical Croix" Paul remarked as he chuckled and ran

"You're not gonna race too, Desmond?" Rupert asked

"Nah… I'm fine" Desmond replied

"Oh… Say. Uh… Desmond… How old is your sister, again?"

"10 years old. Why?"

"Well… Uh… I was just wondering if… You know… if…"

"Wait. Do you have a crush on her?"

"Wh-What?! Well… I…"

"You do have a crush, don't you?"

"Alright… Yeah… I confess... But we hardly talk and stuff, you know. So…"

"Hahaha… Now I see why everyone else calls you 'flunky'. Just talk to her. She won't bite"

"Yeah but…"

"No buts! You'll do fine. She's friendly as she is. I mean look at her!"

"Ok… If you say so…"

The two eventually reached the rest of the gang.

"You're both slow!" Croix playfully said "Come on! The sun's not gonna stay up forever!"

"Yeah. Yeah" Desmond replied "But we gotta make sure we get back before 5pm. We don't want to be scolded… again…"

As the children played around the river, several men in trench coats arrive.

They round up the children and held them at gunpoint

"Who are you?!" Croix asked defiantly

"My. My" the shortest of the men said "Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?!"

The man then slaps Croix

"Croix!" Aster said as he tries to go to Croix's side but stops when one of the men points his gun at him.

"Bastards!" Desmond shouted

"Ah there you two are" the short man said "I never thought, I'd be lucky to find you two here"

"What?!"

"Borg's been very worried for the past few years… The two children of the Crockers still lives and may damage our plans. Pah! What can two kids even do? I say he's just too worried"

"Borg?!"

Before anyone else can say anything, the short man ordered his men to forcibly separate Desmond and Kiara from the others. He then forces them to walk towards a nearby river.

In the bridge, the man forces Croix and the others to stand at the edge, below them is the deepest part of the flowing river.

The river was known for its rapid currents and swimming in them is highly discouraged as you can easily be swept up by the river… In other words, it's the perfect place to dump a body…

"NO!" Desmond shouted "You're not gonna kill another innocent soul!"

"Oh?" the short man replied "Who's gonna stop us? You?"

"No!" Kiara said "Please, don't kill them!"

"Don't worry. Your turn will come next after these brats. I'll make sure to reunite you with them and your parents"

"Our parents?"

"Yes. You didn't know? Your parents are dead!"

Kiara's eyes widen. "No… That's not true…"

Meanwhile, Croix looks at Paul and nods.

Paul looks at the armed men and nods as well.

In that instant, Croix quickly lifts his shirt and grabs a pistol from his pants and fires several shots at the armed men.

The chaos allowed Desmond to break free as he punches his captor in between the legs and steals his Mags submachinegun.

Without hesitation, Desmond and Croix shoot several armed men in the chest.

"You BRATS!" the short man shouted as Desmond and Croix aim their guns at him "Drop your weapons or I drop this girl into the river!"

"Desmond!" Kiara said as the short man takes her hostage

"Bastard!" Desmond shouted "Let her go!"

"Not until you drop your gun!"

"What do we do, Croix?" Desmond asked

"We have no choice…" Croix replied, dropping his gun "He cheated"

Having no choice, Desmond reluctantly drops his gun.

"You're all idiots" the short man said as he fires his pistol at Kiara's left shoulders and drops her to the river

"KIARA!" Desmond shouts as he quickly picks up his gun and opens fire on the man

The man quickly jumps down and lands on the side of the river. Desmond attempts to fire again but the magazine was out of ammo.

Dropping the gun, Desmond tries to jump into the river to rescue his sister but Paul quickly grabs the young boy.

"Let me go!" Desmond shouted as he struggles to break free

"It's no use, Desmond!" Paul replied "The river's too deep and the current is too strong for us to handle!"

"NO! I can save her! Just let me go!"

"Desmond!" Croix said slapping the boy "Get a grip… Look. There are town watchmen coming this way. Let's tell them what happened. They'll find Kiara"

* * *

Even with the town watchmen and the nearby towns alerted on the incident, the river proved to be too strong for anyone to swim on.

And no one knew who that man in the trench coat was…

Weeks pass and nothing…

In the end, Kiara was never found…

Desmond was utterly devastated as he lost the last member of his family…

 **Riverwood Orphanage**

 **2:30am:**

Desmond, with a small backpack, slowly makes his way to the front door.

Before he could open it, someone calls him.

"Desmond?"

The young boy looks behind him and sees Croix, Aster, Rupert, Cooper, Morris, and Paul.

"Where are you going?" Rupert asked

"I'm leaving Riverwood" Desmond replied

"Where will you go?" Morris asked

"Randgriz"

"Randgriz?" Cooper responded "What do you plan to do there?"

"I'll avenge my family"

"Avenge?" Paul responded "Desmond. I know losing your Mom, Dad, and Sister hurts but-"

"They're all gone, Paul… Kiara's gone… They were all killed by these… these corrupt nobles!"

"Think this through, Desmond" Aster said "We all lost family too but… How are you going to make it on your own?"

"I'll wing it. My father taught me how to be resourceful"

"Yeah but-"

Before Aster could continue, Croix stops him.

"Croix?" Aster uttered

Croix walks closer to Desmond and rests his right hand on Desmond's left shoulder. "You made up your mind?"

"I did"

"There are no take backs. Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"Then we'll escort you out of town"

"What?!" Paul said "Croix, what the hell?"

"Nothing we say will stop him…" Croix replied "... So we might as well make it easier for him to at least leave town..."

In the end, Croix and the others escorted Desmond out of town using the underground tunnels.

Before departing, Desmond had one last conversation with his close friends.

"Thanks guys…" Desmond said "For everything… You're all family to me and I won't forget that"

"Yeah…" Croix replied "… You're family too. If anything happens, know that you can always come back to Riverwood. We'll be waiting"

"Thanks… Take care guys and stay alive until we meet again…"

"Yeah… Take care of yourself out there… Until we meet again, Desmond"

Desmond nods as he exits the tunnels and leaves town…

… According to Desmond, that was the last time he ever talked to Croix, Paul, Cooper, Morris, and Rupert as these 5 died during the 1935 invasion…

* * *

After leaving the orphanage, Desmond joined the criminal underworld of Gallia in order to survive and escape from the watchful eyes of the corrupt nobles that killed his family…

Driven by revenge, the young Desmond quickly rose through the criminal underworld, eventually joining a gang called The Rooks.

His resourcefulness and eventual ruthless behavior made him an important asset of the gang and he eventually became the new leader after the old one was killed in a turf war on January 4, 1927.

The gang was later renamed and Desmond quickly gained notoriety, causing several nobles to become quite anxious with Borg being the most anxious of them all.

* * *

 **Castle Randgriz**

 **October 16, 1935:**

With the Gallian Army and Militia coming to Randgriz to liberate their capital, the Imperials were preparing to install the stolen Valkyrian weapon on the Marmota.

In one of the gardens, Maurits von Borg was being escorted by Imperial soldiers as minutes before, Imperial Prince Maximilian had sentenced Borg to death by firing squad.

The former Prime Minister grunts as the Imperial soldiers push him into one of the walls.

"Wait. Wait" Borg said as the Imperials aim their rifles "Please don't!"

Before the firing squad could execute the Prime Minister, Aria jumps from above and kills 2 soldiers with her knife while Rain uses her suppressed Mags to gun down a few Imperials with deadly accuracy and Drifa fires her pistol on the remaining soldiers.

Borg sits down and looks at the trio

"You saved me" he said "Thank you. Thank you"

"Don't thank us just yet" Drifa said as Desmond emerges behind the trio

"Maurits von Borg…" Desmond said as he brings out his father's M1917 revolver "Remember me?"

"You…!" Borg said as his eyes widen

Desmond smiles. "You tried to have me killed several times… All failed…"

"P-Please… Sp-Spare me…"

"Oh. Now you're the one begging for his life…"

Desmond laughs for a bit before hitting the Prime Minister's face with his revolver.

"How the tables have turned" Desmond said as he points the barrel of the revolver under Borg's chin "I wonder if you still remember how you killed my parents 18 years ago…"

"P-Please… Desmond" Borg said with his voice and body shaking "I-I'm sorry"

"Sorry? You know that doesn't exactly sound sincere to me"

"I-I'm sorry, Desmond… I'm sorry that your parents were killed… I-I will leave you alone. I will disappear. Just let me go…"

"You know… I thought you'd do exactly that when me and my sister disappeared but no… You just had to give the order to either capture or kill both me and my sister. Guess what? You succeeded in killing my little sister"

Borg soon begins to panic as he continues to beg for his life

"If only you didn't do that…" Desmond said as he fires his revolver, hitting Borg's right knee "… I wouldn't have to do this. Now, you will experience the pain and suffering that you inflicted to my family"

Desmond fires another shot on Borg's left knee.

The Prime Minister screams in pain.

"You're a traitor to Gallia and one of the lowest living beings in this world"

Desmond fires another shot on Borg's right shoulder.

"You singlehandedly caused the deaths of hundreds of Gallians in less than 20 years…"

Desmond fires again, hitting Borg's left shoulder.

"Power hungry pigs… A lot of you nobles are like that…"

Desmond fires another shot, punching a hole Borg's right palm.

"You certainly won't be the last greedy politician that I'll kill… So I swear to you, Mr. von Borg, that I will not rest until you and your fellow greedy pigs are rotting together in hell…"

Desmond fires the 6th shot on Borg's left palm, creating another hole.

"You don't know how long I've waited for this moment… How I watched in horror from the hidden cellar in our home as you slowly killed my parents… Karma is on my side, Prime Minister and I'm about to deliver it… Any last words?"

Borg could not speak due to the immense pain that he was feeling. As tears begin to run down his cheeks, Desmond laughs as he aims his revolver at Borg's head.

Desmond pulls the trigger but the weapon did not fire.

"You think I'd end your pain that quickly?" Desmond said as he holsters his revolver "No. You'll die slowly and painfully. Aria, if you will"

Aria then hands over her knife to Desmond, who proceeded to non-lethally stab Borg several times in the stomach.

Eventually, Desmond decides to end it all by slitting Borg's throat, slowly.

Within minutes, the former Prime Minister was dead…

"Mama… Papa… Kiara" Desmond muttered "You have been avenged…"

Just then, the Marmota had begun to move and leave the city.

"Looks like Maximilian's endgame is near" Rain said

"What do we do now, Desmond?" Aria asked

"Well…" Desmond replied "Our main objective is done. Borg is dead. So we do the next logical thing… Defend our homeland"

"So Desmond" Drifa said "Your revenge is complete now, right?"

"No" Desmond answered "I still have to slaughter a few more greedy pigs still lurking in this country"

"Desmond…"

"Don't try to stop me. I got my justice but it's not over. I don't care if the entire world would remember me as a murderer… So long as I cleanse this world of filth like Borg, I'm happy with that…"

After escaping Castle Randgriz, they regrouped with their respective gangs and began to fight the Imperial troops left in the city.

* * *

 **Randgriz, Gallia**

 **October 25, 1940:**

"She's heavily injured" a doctor said as he examines Archduchess Cordelia "But she's alive and stable"

Minutes after the public executions, Desmond, Edna, Drifa, and several Gallian officials gather in Archduchess' room.

"I don't understand…" Edna said "I saw you kill the Archduchess. How is she alive?"

"Just proves my point how gullible you all are" Desmond responded "The one I killed was a body double, impersonating the Archduchess"

"Impersonating?"

"A couple of nobles have been conspiring to sell this country to the Empire for several decades now…"

"What do you mean?"

"You'd be surprised how deep this Imperial conspiracy goes… And I've been cleansing this country of ours of this filth for decades"

"Still… That doesn't change the fact that you killed innocent people!"

"I won't deny that I dirtied my hands to clean this country up but every kill, every death that I caused and will cause is simply a necessary sacrifice for the greater good"

"Greater good? Greater good?!" Edna said as she becomes emotional "You killed my parents! You killed them even though they weren't even involved in any of this! Are they collateral too? Are Darcsens disposable to you too?!"

Desmond did not respond. Drifa notices that Desmond maintained an emotionless demeanor.

The room was silent for a time before a Gallian soldier bursts in.

"General Barredo! General Barredo!" the Gallian soldier said frantically

"What's going on?" the general replied

"General! Imperial forces have launched an offensive on several border towns!"

"What?!"

"It's all part of their plan" Desmond interrupted "Those nobles were distracting all of us while the Empire slowly moved their forces for another invasion"

"Shit… Mobilize the army!" the general said "I don't want another repeat in history!"

"Don't worry, General" Desmond said "That won't happen"

"What makes you say that, convict?"

"The town watchmen of every one of those towns was already warned beforehand"

"What?! How did you-"

"I have my ways" Desmond interrupted "Oh and by the way, you may want to meet up with the Federation soldiers that I requested"

"Federation soldiers? Requested? What?"

"I can see that everyone in this room seems to be skeptical of me so I will leave you all the means and methods but it is up to all of you if you will use it"

Desmond then leaves the room.

"Hey!" Edna said running after the gang leader "Where do you think you're going?"

"To war, my dear" Desmond replied "Like it or not, Gallia will go to war"

Desmond then walks away as Edna stands there, perplexed.

By the end of October 1940, the Empire had resumed their invasion of Gallia and in turn, Gallia, once again, declares war on the Empire and to the surprise of many, including me, it was Archduchess Cordelia who announced the declaration of war.

And if that's not surprising enough, Gallia became an official ally of the Federation and formally joins the Second Europan War on October 28, 1940.


	10. Ch 9: Naggiar Skirmish

**October 29, 1940:**

I finally had a good night's rest after spending a few days sleeping in a prison bed.

I didn't realize how exhausted I actually was. I slept like a log until around 10am the next morning.

The entire morning was pretty dull. I simply walked around the entire camp.

Actually, I noticed that the soldiers were fortifying their positions.

Mortars, landmines, you name it.

Considering that we were at the very edge of Naggiar Plains as well as being one of the few functional airfields in Gallia, I guess, logically, this would be the next target.

 **October 30, 1940**

 **Fort Amatriain, Randgriz**

 **General's Quarters**

Desmond Crocker meets up with Supreme General Barredo of the Gallian Army.

"Crocker" the general said "What do you want now?"

"I think you can see, General" Desmond replied "That the Gallian Army will have a difficult time defending the country against the Empire"

The general does not respond.

"Don't give me that look. I think I've demonstrated the sincerity of my action, no?" Desmond continued, putting a piece of paper on the table "I just came to give you some paperwork"

"Paperwork?" the general said grabbing the paper "Are you joking? Please tell me you're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"You can't seriously expect me to approve this. The Archduchess may have given you and your gang pardon but I still don't trust you"

"My, My general. Still don't trust me? That's hurts my feelings, you know"

"You think I'm dense? You have other motives for this war. I don't believe that someone like you is driven by mere patriotism alone"

"Hahaha! I guess not every person in this country is as gullible as I thought"

"So either you tell me everything or I won't approve of your proposal"

"… Fine. But you must not tell a single soul as of what I will tell you"

The general doesn't respond.

"Or else" Desmond continued as Rain and Aria appear from the shadows behind him "One of these lovely ladies will escort you to the afterlife. And trust me, I have ways of knowing"

"Alright… You have my word"

* * *

 **November 1, 1940:**

Around lunchtime, I met up with Aster and Sonia, who seem to be chatting with 2 other individuals.

"Denzel" Aster called "Over here!"

"Hey Aster, Sonia" I said as I sit down "Who're these two?"

"These are the two pilots who saved our lives yesterday"

"Really? Thank you for saving our lives. My name is Denzel"

"Pleasure's all mine!" the brown-haired woman replied with an energetic tone "The name's Sora. Sora Andersen! Nice to meet ya!"

"I'm Wilson Ulrik" the male pilot added "A pleasure"

"So" I continued "What brings Federation pilots to Gallia?"

"You don't know?" Sora replied "Gallia declared war on the Empire yesterday"

"What? How? By who?"

"Why, your very own Archduchess of course"

"The Archduchess?! Impossible. She was killed by Desmond Crocker"

"Not exactly" Aster interrupted

"What do you mean?"

"What you found out from the radio and newspapers aren't exactly the full story"

"What?"

Before we could continue our conversation, we heard the distinct sound of planes.

"More Federation planes?" I wondered

"Can't be" Sora responded "Me and Wil are the only ones sent… Unless…"

Without another word, Sora bolted out of the mess hall.

"Sora?" Wilson uttered as we followed

Outside, we saw Sora looking up.

"Guys…" she uttered

Looking up, I saw several dots in the sky.

"The hell are those…?" I uttered as the sirens begin to echo throughout the base

"Son of a bitch…" Sora uttered "Those are Imperial planes!"

Sensing the danger, we quickly scrambled to our battle stations but we were too late.

The enemy was right on our doorstep.

It didn't make sense, actually.

The enemy managed to reach the vicinity of the base too fast.

Given that the enemy had motorbikes and jeeps, but tanks?

They were too fast.

"Shit!" Aster said, grabbing a Federation Lee Enfield rifle from a dead soldier "Looks like the Imperials learned some new tricks!"

"We have to hurry!" Sora said as she brings out her Enfield No. 2 revolvers "They're focusing on the airfield!"

The base was almost overrun as Imperial soldiers were just a few meters away.

The sound of bullets whistling past me… 3 wars and I still haven't completely gotten used to that.

* * *

Dunno if we were lucky or unlucky but by the time the enemy attacks began, we were, literally, right in the middle of the base.

The hangars were close but so were the Imperials as moving proved to be very difficult.

"Me and Wil need to be airborne before the Imperials destroy those hangars!" Sora said "Or else we'll be completely overwhelmed!"

We were caught by surprise… The Gallian soldiers struggled to mount a proper defense and counterattack as more and more Imperial troops arrive.

"How are we gonna get outta this…?" I thought, as I grabbed the OG-43 of a dead Gallian soldier

"Alright" Aster said "Let's get going! Those Imperials aren't gonna wait for us!"

* * *

We were only 5 people.

Aster & Sonia had ZH-29s and the two pilots only had Enfield No.2 revolvers.

The army was in disarray as every ranking officer struggled to maintain control of the soldiers, some of which were panicking.

Nevertheless, they put up quite the resistance against the attacking Imperials.

* * *

It took about 5 minutes before we could reach the general vicinity of the airstrip.

The runway was heavily damaged and some of the hangars were on fire.

"Our hurricanes are still alive!" Sora shouted as several I-16s unleash a small barrage on us.

"We're not gonna go anywhere with these planes on top of us!" I yelled as Imperial soldiers began to rain bullets on our position.

Obviously, we returned fire, taking down a few Imperial soldiers, as we made our way through the battlefield.

"Guys" Sora said "There's an anti-aircraft gun near our hangar. Can any of you operate them?"

"No" Aster replied pointing at 2 pinned down soldiers near the hangar "But I bet they can"

I volunteered to provide cover while Aster and the others ran towards the 2 soldiers.

I fought alongside a few straggling Gallian soldiers. It's funny that I called the shots. Maybe they weren't exactly the leader type or the fact that the situation was so chaotic that they would follow just about anyone who can issue an order.

Nevertheless, we kept the Imperial's attention straight at us. But doing so made it more and more difficult to return fire as they were really concentrating on us.

Luckily, me and my ragtag group managed to keep the Imperials at bay, giving Aster and the others enough time to reach the hangar and anti-aircraft gun.

"Almost there!" Sora said "Guys! I need you to man that AA gun and-"

Before she could finish, several I-16s bomb the hangar, destroying the Hawker Hurricanes inside.

"Shit!" Aster shouted as he and the other recover from the explosions "We can't stay here!"

They quickly recover and run to the side of the burning hangar as a few I-16s unleash a barrage on them, luckily no one was hit.

"At this rate" Wilson said as bombs begin to fall on the runway "We'll be overwhelmed!"

"Sir" one of the Gallian soldiers said, pointing at the hangar at the back of the base "There's another hangar over there!"

"What's in there?" Aster asked

"We received a fresh shipment of new planes from the Federation yesterday. There should be at least 2 inside that hangar if we are lucky!"

"Nice! Let's get going before the Imperials destroy that too!"

Meanwhile, my position was at a disadvantage.

The Imperials were overpowering us as more Gallian soldiers with each passing minute.

"Oh perfect…" I sarcastically said as an explosion erupts nearby, killing a few soldiers "…tanks"

The Imperial tanks were upon us and it was a massacre.

Unfortunately, we had very few lances and anti-tank grenades, most of which were littered across the battlefield dropped by dead Gallian soldiers.

* * *

Jumping back to Aster, they were frantically making their way to the last hangar.

"Shit!" Sora shouted as she and the others go prone, avoiding another barrage from enemy I-16s

Just as they recover, 2 enemy motorbikes fires another barrage at the group, forcing them to duck again.

"Sora. Wilson" Aster said firing his rifle "Run to the hangars! We'll take care of these bastards!"

"Um" Wilson nervously said "I don't think we'll make it in time on foot"

"Why?" Sora asked

"Look" he replied pointing on the horizon

"Oh shit…" Sora said as she sees 2 dots on the horizon "… I'm guessing they're after our little hangar…"

"Son of a bitch!" Aster shouted "Ok then, we hijack those bikes! Everyone, aim for the drivers!"

At Aster's command, the group opens fire on the enemy motorbikes, killing both drivers.

Wasting no time, Sora and Wilson commandeer the vehicles and raced to the hangar while Aster and the others converge on my position.

The duo reaches the hangar, with the 2 I-16s dangerously closing in.

"Spitfires huh…" Sora remarked "Wil. Can you pilot these?"

"They're the new Federation aircraft, right?" Wilson replied as the two quickly began start-up procedures "I think I can fly it decently enough"

Seconds later, the sound of I-16 engines could be clearly heard inside the hangar.

"Wil!" Sora said in the radio "Off the hangar, NOW!"

The two pilots quickly drove their planes out of the hangar, narrowly escaping the bombs.

As the two aircraft begin to pick up speed, they are assaulted by Imperial planes.

Meanwhile, Aster and others were running towards me as they notice the scene.

"Damn it!" Sonia said "They need help!"

Aster and the others quickly find and commandeer a M45 Quadmount, located near the Communications tower.

"Shoot those bastards out of the sky!" Aster said as the AA gun shreds several enemy aircraft

On my end, the carnage seemed to have been postponed as the enemy tanks began to focus their fire on the 2 planes. This gave us a brief moment to catch our breaths as we began our counterattack.

"Son of a bitch!" Sora shouted "We can't use the runway! Wil! Turn left! To the plains!"

"On your lead!" Wilson replied as they turn to the left towards the open plains of Naggiar.

The two pilots increased their speed as enemy I-16s approach from multiple directions.

"Sora!" Wilson said, noticing the trenches in front "We'll run out of land before we can lift off!"

"Come on, Wil!" Sora replied "We can do this! Increase speed!"

Wilson put his throttle on max, giving the plane more speed as the first wave of enemy planes unleash a barrage on the two, putting holes on the wings of both aircraft.

"Shit!" Sora said "I hope these new planes are durable"

"I hope so too, Sora" Wilson replied

"Wil!" Sora said, pulling the stick "RISE!"

The two planes lift off, narrowly dodging another barrage and just missing the trenches.

"Nice one, Wil!" Sora complimented as machinegun fire rains on the two

"Yeah" Wilson replied "But we're not out of the woods, yet!"

"Alright, let's shake em!"

Back in the airstrip, we were forced to fall back to the Communications tower.

We entrenched ourselves in the surrounding area with 2 light tanks, 1 medium tank, and around a hundred troops to defend our position.

"Captain!" the radioman reported "The 2 friendly planes managed to lift off!"

"Good!" The captain replied "Tell em to provide air cover and attack the Imperials in front of the tower!"

"Yes sir! Attention allied pilots. Under Captain-"

Unfortunately, a rifle bullet penetrates through the radioman's chest, killing him.

An Imperial tank fires a shell, destroying the medium tank.

The Captain and several soldiers were caught in the explosion, incapacitating them.

We were losing.

I was scared but I knew that there was no time to be scared.

So I ran to the dead radioman and quickly got his radio equipment.

Thank goodness that the radio was still operational.

"Sora? Wilson?" I said on the radio "You guys there?"

"Denzel?" Sora replied "What's up?"

"We're being overrun! We need support. Fast! They got us pinned down by the Comms tower!"

"I see it! We're coming in hot! By the way, if you guys can take care of some bogies behind us, we'll really appreciate it!"

"Got it!" I said, running to Aster "Aster! Sora and Wilson are coming, target the enemy planes behind them!"

"Right!" Aster replied

Minutes later, the two Spitfires reach the airstrip, with several I-16s close behind.

"Bombs away!" Sora said as the duo drops bombs on the enemy while the AA gun shoots down several enemy planes.

The bombs decimated most of the Imperial troops. I even saw some of the enemy planes crash on top of em.

I heard Sora cheer on the radio. "Yeah! Thanks for the assist! We'll be gone for a while. Wil and I got some skies to clear up!"

With our newfound momentum, we began our counter attack while the two planes fly straight into the path of several I-16s.

The two open fire, shooting down 3 planes as the dogfight gets underway.

"Here piggy, piggy" Sora muttered as she fires a burst on the I-16 infront of her but the plane continues to fly.

While she continues to fire on the enemy plane, another I-16 comes from behind and fires a barrage on her plane.

According to Sora, she could see the bullets fly past her cockpit.

"Fuck!" she said "These bullets are getting too close for comfort! Wil. I think I need some help!"

"On it, Sora!" Wilson replied as he engages the I-16.

Sora fires another burst, this time setting the plane on fire. "Got ya!" she exclaims

Back on the ground, Aster gathered all the remaining Gallians.

We were down to our last tank and the enemy still had 2 left.

"Aster" Sonia sad "What do we do?"

"I'm not sure…" he replied "Our light tank can't pierce the frontal armor of those tanks! If only Croix was here…"

Just then, a female voice echoes throughout the radio "I have an idea"

"What?" I said picking up the radio

"I have an idea" she said again "Do we have any satchel charges?"

"Hold on" I replied turning to Aster "Aster! Do we have any satchel charges?"

"Just 1" he replied "Why?"

"Just 1" I reported to her

"That should be enough. I need someone to ride on top of my tank and throw those charges into the turret of the front tank while I engage the one in the rear"

"That's kinda risky" Aster responded, picking up the radio "Can you actually pull it off?"

"There's no time. We have to act now"

"Ok. Then-"

"I'll go" I interrupted, putting down the radio equipment

"Denzel?" Aster replied "Are you sure?"

Honestly, I wasn't exactly sure. I was really nervous but I couldn't just sit there and watch either.

I must have some sort of death wish or something… Well that's not actually far from the truth.

I grabbed the satchel charges, climbed at the back of the tank, and tapped the hull.

The driver drove at max speed as I held on tightly at the tank's side.

Aster and the others rained suppressive fire to keep the enemy infantry at bay.

The 2 enemy tanks each fired a shell, both were dodged.

The driver's skills were amazing. She was like some master tank pilot or something… Reminding me of a certain someone…

As we neared the first tank, I quickly jumped off.

I rolled and quickly recovered as the enemy infantry opened fire on my location.

I picked up the satchel charge, threw it into the tank's turret, and ran like hell.

Seconds later, the first tank exploded and I instinctively jumped behind its remains, shielding me from further enemy fire.

I observed the light tank's graceful movements and holy hell was I impressed.

She drove around the enemy tank and you could notice that the Imperials were having trouble hitting her.

She fires a few shells, denting its armor.

She then drives straight to the tank. The enemy fires another shell, still missing.

She overtakes the tank, slams the breaks, and quickly turns left, causing it to skid and tilt to the right a bit.

The light tank quickly gets into position and fires a shell on the now exposed ragnite radiator, destroying the enemy tank.

It was an amazing site to watch, I tell you. It brought back some very suppressed memories, though.

* * *

Back in the air, Sora and Wilson were mopping up stragglers.

"And another one bites the dust!" Sora said as she shoots down another I-16

"Sora" Wilson said "The stragglers are withdrawing to the clouds. Should we pursue?"

"3 I-16s… I think we can take em"

"You sure? We'll have limited visibility in there"

Before Sora could respond, the 3 I-16s dive from above and unleash a volley on the two.

"Shit!" Sora said as smoke begins to emerge from her plane.

Sora told me that at least 1 bullet managed to penetrate the cockpit, barely missing her.

With her plane damaged, Sora slowly descended as the 3 planes were on her tail.

"Wil!" Sora said

"I'm coming!" Wilson responded as he positions behind the 3 enemy aircraft

He opens fire and damages the tail wing of one of the I-16s. It was still pursuing Sora.

He fires again, this time severely damaging its right wing.

This causes the plane to go out of control, spinning to the right which then collides with another I-16.

Sora continues to descend as the last I-16 fires another barrage.

Getting a clear shot, Wilson presses the trigger but the plane's cannons don't fire.

"Damn!" he said "I'm out of ammo!"

Almost at ground level, Sora directs her plane back to the base as the enemy plane fires another barrage, hitting her plane.

"This is not looking too good!" she said as an alarm sounds in the cockpit "Damn it! I'm leaking oil!"

Losing oil, Sora decides to take a gamble.

She pulls on the stick as hard as she could. Her plane rises in a 90 degree angle.

The enemy plane follows suit and fires more barrages.

"Come on. Come on!" Sora muttered as alarms are blaring throughout the cockpit

Her plane was nearing critical speed which would force her to level it, giving the enemy pilot a window to shoot her down.

At critical speed, Sora was preparing for the worst as she prepares to level her aircraft but in a stroke of luck, the enemy plane levels first and begins an unexpected dive.

"He stalled first!" Sora muttered turning her plane around "Now you're mine!"

Her spitfire dives and Sora presses the trigger, unleashing barrage after barrage on the enemy plane.

The enemy pilot struggles to dodge her attacks but the Federation pilot eventually lands enough hits to take down the I-16.

Sora cheered as the I-16 crashes near the base.

But her celebration was short-lived as the plane's engines suddenly died, forcing her to make an emergency landing.

She was gliding. And man, was it amazing that she managed to land that aircraft.

Nevertheless, the base was clear and we survived.

But the day wasn't over yet…

"Guys" Wilson reported over the radio "I think that was just an advance unit… I spot more Imperials headed our way"

Worried, I climbed to the top of the Comms tower and scouted the horizon with a pair of binoculars.

Wilson was right… More are coming.

We only had a few dozen able-bodied soldiers left, 1 light tank, and 1 plane with no ammo.

"How are we gonna get outta this?" I thought as despair overtakes me.

Just then, a voice echoes through the radio.

"Fort Gunther. Fort Gunther. Do you copy?"

"What?" Aster said "Who is this?"

"Ah! Glad that the base is still in Gallian hands. This is Major Desmond Crocker of the 506th Joint Infantry Regiment of the Gallian Army"

"Well. Well. So the plan was a success?"

"Aster? Haha! Well. Well. Well… Let's catch up on current events after we mop up these bastards, shall we?"

"After you"

Desmond's timely, and surprisingly, arrival enabled us to successfully defend the base, albeit with a lot of casualties and damage to the base itself.

This day marked the beginning of the 'Misfits Battalion'.

Nevertheless, I was still racked with questions.

Most notably is how and why did Desmond get a high ranking position in the army, let alone his own unit?

I had a lot of questions that have yet to be answered…

The next day, I was still recovering from the events of the previous day when Aster told me that he Desmond recruit me to his new battalion, along with him, Sonia, Wilson, and Sora.

Imagine that being the first thing you hear when you just woke up.


	11. Ch 10: The Northern Campaign

**November 4, 1940:**

Kinda late but today me and the rest of the new 'recruits' are formally introduced into Desmond's new squad, or rather General Barredo's squad.

Yep… General Barredo, himself, is our commanding officer and the real leader of this squad.

From the info that I managed to gather, our squad was supposed to be some kind of special taskforce composed of hand-picked individuals from various countries throughout Europa.

I heard we were gonna be assigned to conduct high risk missions and most of em are top secret…

Simply put, we never existed…

Well that was until this book was released.

Before this, not a single history book ever mentioned us.

Anyway, I was acquainted with the other members of the squad.

There's the ones I already know: Aster (Sergeant), Sonia (Corporal), Edna (Lieutenant), Drifa (Staff Sergeant), Desmond (Major), Aria (Corporal), Rain (Lieutenant Colonel), Sora (Captain), and Wilson (Wing Commander).

And here are the rest:

 **Master Sergeant Roswell Pearce (34) –** Actually, I didn't expect a guy like him to be a lancer. Around 5 feet tall, black hair, dark skin and kinda skinny but hell I was surprised how strong he was. I guess you don't judge a book by its cover. Came from 369th Infantry Regiment of the Federal Armed Forces (FAF) before being recruited into this squad. Friendly guy… Can't really say much since it's just a first impression.

 **Corporal Isaac Kutner (25) –** This one's a scout. He was recruited from the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the FAF. Pretty tall, standing almost 6 feet tall. The left side of his face seems to be colored completely red while the other half is clean… His own personal design for war paint, I guess…? Other than that, he's pretty quiet and is perpetually frowning. I get the feeling he's carrying some kind of baggage… But hey who am I to judge?

 **Sergeant Renee Duval (29)** – Shocktrooper but her primary role is demolition. Scouted from the 45th Infantry Division of the FAF, she was one of the best demolition specialists in her squad. Outside of battle, she's pretty quiet and soft-spoken. Basically, your typical shy glasses wearing bookworm. But believe me once we enter the battlefield… She's a completely different person

 **Private First Class Doss (30) –** A fellow Darcsen and former Squad 6 member of the Gallian Militia. A pacifist with an aversion to firearms. Actually aversion is an understatement. He downright doesn't like em to the point of refusing to hold one even during the heat of battle. And if that's not bold enough, I heard he managed to save the lives of 60 militiamen during the battle of Naggiar alone and without firing a single bullet. Amazing… Maybe that's why he's our medic and engineer.

 **Colonel Franko Ruz (45) –** A veteran shocktrooper of both the First and Second Europan Wars. He served under the 22nd Cavalry Division of the FAF during EW I and the 32nd Tank Brigade in EW II. He fought alongside General Barredo during EW I and the two seemed to have formed some sort of bond with one another. He doesn't talk much but he's not completely unfriendly. He talks to you when you talk to him but don't expect him to be the one to start a conversation.

 **Major Jane Agad (44) –** Another EW I and EW II veteran, this time she's a scout. She served with General Barredo for most of her career. Unlike Franko, she's kinda peppy and energetic. Second only to Sora, she's friendly and loud.

 **Lieutenant Marian Dupont (19) –** Yeah… This confirms it. Not only was she that bold tank driver that came up with that crazy plan 3 days ago but she's also Elena's little sister, not to mention the youngest member of this unit. How the gods must hate me… Graduated from Lanseal 3 years ago, she joined the academy after hearing about Elena's death and then served under the 3rd Armored Corps of the Gallian Army up until recently. She's friendly but I mostly see her alone in one corner, ignoring everyone around her and simply writing something on that little notebook of hers. I understand that sentiment though…

And finally,

 **General Hanz Barredo (47) –** Our commanding officer and a 4-star General of the Gallian Army. Stern, perceptive… He's like an older male-version of Commander Varrot. He led many successful operations against both the Imperials and the Rebels during EW I, II, and the Civil War. Unlike most generals, he's a field commander, preferring to be in the battlefield firing his Thompson submachinegun alongside his men. He leads by example and he's really good at keeping morale high.

And that was our squad…

By the way, I started out as a Sergeant.

Actually, Gallia's and the Federation's Top brass called us 'The Misfits Battalion'.

Well… I can't really say they're wrong.

I mean, our squad's a mix of criminals, assassins, decorated veterans, war heroes, etc., etc.

Bottom line, we weren't supposed to blend well in the battlefield.

Actually, I had doubts for the squad's future… Good thing, I was proven wrong.

 **November 9, 1940:**

For the past 5 days, the army and militia, supported by the FAF, managed to keep the Imperials from penetrating the Gallian Border.

Our unit was stationed in Girhalandiao, or at least what's left of it…

We had to hold that area along with the 2nd Battalion of the Gallian Militia and the 15th Infantry Regiment of the FAF.

We were literally dug in, foxholes all over the battlefield.

Haha… I've had experiences with these kinds of fights but not for this long.

I was quite amazed that our squad works well together. Putting each of our pasts aside, we all worked as one big unit… Always getting the job done and keeping ourselves alive in the process.

Day after day, we successfully stop one Imperial advance after another.

The Imperials knew they couldn't enter Gallian soil through the front and so, they decided to use a different tactic.

With their planes and warships, the Imperials conducted several amphibious and airborne assaults in Northern Gallia. The Northern Coastal Belts, including the towns of Sluis, Sloan, Laren, and Herstal, were attacked on November 8.

The army didn't expect such a bold attack to happen and these areas were lightly defended.

Northern Gallia had fallen…

The Imperials had finally established a foothold in the country.

High command wanted to respond immediately but with the current condition of the army and militia, they knew that they had to divide their forces which may weaken our defenses in Gallia's borders.

With attacks from the front becoming more and more ferocious, High Command knew that dividing our forces was exactly what the Imperials wanted. The second we divide our forces, the Imperials will launch several all-out-attacks in various borders across the country.

Even with support from the Federation, Gallia wouldn't be able to suppress the Imperials if that happened… Could have been worse actually. 2 wars and a devastated military force, we were quite lucky to be able to keep the Imperials at bay.

It gets better too…

Army scouts spotted squads of Imperial soldiers marching south of the Coastal Belt.

It was a hard decision but High Command decided to send us, a few militia squads, and a FAF infantry detachment to stop the advancing Imperials.

We were assigned to take back the coastal town of Sluis.

* * *

 **November 11, 1940**

 **Sluis, Northern Gallia**

"Incoming!" Franko shouted as we quickly took cover in our foxholes

Imperial Mortars were hammering our position like crazy.

Yesterday, we managed to push through the city limits but the Imperials managed to push us back into the open plains by noon.

Fighting was heavy and brutal as the Imperials were hell bent on keeping this foothold.

They outnumber both us and our air support. It was almost as if their numbers are limitless!

No matter how many we take down or how much land we manage to acquire, they always find a way to push us back.

What took us all day to gain yesterday only took the Imperials one morning to take back.

I'm reminded of the 1935 invasion again… Outnumbered. Outgunned.

It's like the Imperials just entered a war, as if their loses in the last 5 years were just a fraction of their armies.

To make matters worse, our tanks couldn't advance due to the anti-tank guns placed by the town's entrance.

Before our tanks could move, we had to neutralize those guns…

Easier said than done… We had to cross an entire open field to even reach them.

Given that they're full of foxholes, ditches, and craters, it's still a 230 meter no man's land before we could even reach the first building!

As the mortars finally stopped falling, General Barredo was the first to rise from cover.

"No surrender!" he shouted, firing his Thompson at the advancing Imperials

It's amazing how the general manages to inspire all of us.

Just a few minutes ago, I could feel the despair permeating around me.

All he did was do some kind of battle cry and suddenly, everyone around me is inspired to fight.

I guess, there are honorable generals in the army as I'd later find out that General Barredo had gained both fame and infamy throughout his military career.

Anyway, inspired by the general's acts, we started another slow push through the battlefield.

Running from foxhole to foxhole, taking cover from mortar strikes.

My, what an adrenaline rush…

"General!" A militiaman shouted, as machinegun rounds rain from the sky

They were Imperial Messerschmitt Bf 109s.

Several of them conducted strafing runs on us… We lost a few men from the attack.

"Shit!" the General said, as we all took cover in foxholes "Sergeant! Radio!"

"Y-Yes sir!" I responded, crawling towards him

Yep. I was the radioman… Armed with a ZH-29, I was carrying one of the heaviest and most important equipment in the battle.

"This is General Barredo. Andersen. Do you copy?"

"We're a bit busy with some buggers" Sora responded "What do you need, General?"

While the Imperials had BF-109s, we had Supermarine Spitfires and P-51 Mustangs on our side, with Sora and Wilson leading the squads with the Spitfires they used in Naggiar.

"I need air support!" the General continued "Those Imperial planes are preventing us from advancing!"

"Copy that!" Sora responded "All units. This is Red 1! Consolidate around me. We gotta defend our boys on the ground!"

"Roger that" the other Federation and Gallian pilots responded

The Spitfires and Mustangs quickly regroup and formed a V-formation as they engage several squads of Imperial Planes.

"Give em hell, boys!" Sora said as a dogfight ensues

We could clearly see the dogfight from our position. What a sight that was… Up until that time, I've never seen anything like it before in my entire life.

"Machine gunners!" the General commanded as the Imperials resumed their advance "Cover fire!"

Renee smiles as she provides cover fire with her M1917 Browning Machinegun while laughing maniacally

"Yeesh" Franko said, firing his M1919 Browning Machingun "What's up with kids these days…?"

The other machine gunners also complied, mowing down several Imperial soldiers, prompting the rest to take cover by the foxholes.

"Fix bayonets!" the General said, bringing out a Smith & Wesson Model 10 and a combat knife

Oh god… We're really gonna do it. I heard that General Barredo was bold but come on… There's heavy fire coming from the enemy camp too, not to mention their mortars and he wants us to charge like what the old infantrymen did in the first Europan War?!

"The rest of you, CHARGE!" he shouted as he was the first and only man to break cover and charge.

"I knew it…" I thought to myself, contemplating about my life choices

"He's one crazy bitch, huh?" Jane said, as she finishes putting a bayonet on her rifle

I couldn't really respond properly… All I could do was do a nervous laugh

"Just have faith and fight with everything you got!" she said as she does a battle cry and charges as well.

By that point, several militiamen had already began some kind of banzai charge towards the enemy.

It took me around 30 seconds before I finally decided to charge as well.

And holy shit… The carnage…

Many militiamen were gunned down before they could even reach the enemy soldiers while the others manage to sink their bayonets onto the enemy.

Yep… Hello brutality of war. Been a while since I last saw you.

Then there's the general

It's like he has some kind of force field cuz not a single bullet was hitting him.

He just kept charging, taking down Imperial after Imperial, without breaking a sweat.

And here I was running for my life from one foxhole to another when, all of a sudden, an Imperial plane skids just in front of me.

I almost forgot that another battle was happening just above our heads.

Had I taken one step further, I would have been caught in that plane's path.

Although, I couldn't really say the same for the other militiamen.

Shaken, I could only look up as I saw a Spitfire fly past me.

It was Sora…

"All units" she said engaging another BF-109 "Focus your fire on those close to our troops on the ground!"

She fires another barrage at the enemy plane as it does a barrel roll while diving down to the ground.

Sora follows the enemy plane down and fires whenever she could.

The enemy plane unleashes a barrage on some hapless soldiers.

"Damn it" Sora uttered firing another barrage "Stay still, you fucker!"

Another BF-109 takes notice of the situation and dives down, unleashing a barrage on Sora.

The Federation pilot instinctively tilts her plane to the left, avoiding the hail of bullets.

Now an enemy plane is on her tail as she is pelted by another barrage.

"Son of a bitch!" she uttered firing another barrage at the Imperial plane in front of her "Go down already!"

"Sora!" Wilson said as he moves towards her

"Nice timing, Wil! I need some help!"

"I'm coming! Hold on!"

"Like I have a choice!"

The Imperial plane begins to climb as Sora unleashes another barrage.

She follows suit as she is pelted by another barrage from the plane behind her.

Her left wing was hit but no alarms blared in the cockpit.

"Wil… Where are you?" she said as another barrage creates another set of holes in her right wing

"I'm here!" he responded, firing a barrage at the enemy plane behind Sora

"About time!" Sora responded as she fires another barrage, this time chipping the enemy plane's left wing off.

The 109 spins out of control and crashes into the Imperial side of the battlefield.

* * *

Back on the ground, we were almost to no man's land. Just one more push and we could finally enter the town… again.

"Shit!" Edna shouted, firing her OG-43 "The enemy's got tanks!"

"Well ain't that fucking perfect!" Desmond retorted

The Imperials sent an entire squad of light tanks on us.

The mortars stopped but now we have tank shells to deal with.

Roswell fires a few lance rockets at the tanks, destroying 2 before the general stopped him.

"Don't use up all your rockets" the general said

"Ok. So what do we do?" Roswell asked as everyone gathered together

On a sidenote, it's kinda amazing that everyone ended up on the same foxhole despite the chaos that was happening all around us.

"How many anti-tank grenades do we have?" General Barredo asked

"Each of us has 1, sir" Doss replied "But I'm carrying around 2 more"

"Don't tell me you're gonna-" Franko said, stopping mid-sentence as he saw the general's confident face "Still as bold and crazy as ever"

Bold, maybe… Crazy, definitely.

The general wants us, including me the radioman, to charge towards the enemy tanks with anti-tank grenades.

No cover, no means to suppress the tanks… It was our first battle as a unit and already we're faced with a suicide mission.

"HAHAHAHA! AH YEAH!" Renee said in a maniacal tone "I can feel the ADRENALINE! Let's do it!"

Damn… This cute girl, with glasses, is psychopathic… Well at least on the battlefield.

I wonder how she managed to get past screening…?

"Well someone's enthusiastic" Aster remarked reloading his submachinegun

"Sergeant" the general said "Radio"

I complied, handing the radio to the general.

"All units!" He said "This is General Barredo. Provide heavy suppressive fire through no man's land! On my command, cease firing!"

The troops on the ground followed their orders and began firing from their respective foxholes.

But this did not stop the Imperial tanks from advancing.

They slowly moved towards no man's land, all the while firing shell upon shell on us.

Halfway through the open field, the general gives the order to cease fire.

The other soldiers comply but the tanks just kept going and the enemy continues to pelt us with bullets and shells.

"Hey Hanz!" Franko said "You don't expect us to run towards the tanks, do you?!"

"Of course not" the general responded throwing several grenades in front "I'm not that stupid!"

The grenades unleashed a thick blanket of smoke upon no man's land.

I remember something like this happening during the Battle of Marberry Shore, 5 years ago.

Looks like whatever it was Squad 7 used in that battle was mass produced into these grenades.

"Now then!" The general said standing up with his Thompson "Misfits! Let's move out!"

I looked at my pendant for a minute… That same pendant gave me good luck for so long and I hoped it would continue doing so.

I exhaled and swallowed my nervousness as the entire squad runs through the smoke, anti-tank grenades at the ready.

Renee, Jane, Franko, and Sonia were the first to emerge from the smoke.

They quickly threw their grenades at the tanks.

Two were destroyed, one had its treads blown off, and another was unscathed.

Machinegun fire erupts almost instantly as more of us emerge from the smoke.

We quickly take cover by the two destroyed tanks.

The two tanks were a bit far from our position, we had to get closer to be able to accurately throw our grenades.

I was right next to Isaac, in the right tank, who was staring at the moving enemy tank.

"Isaac" I said, tapping his shoulder "Careful. You could get shot"

"Don't worry about me" the man responded as he begins to do some weird gestures with his right hand

It was as if he was computing something…

Before I could ask, Isaac breaks cover.

The enemy tank immediately rains bullets on him.

"Isaac!" I said

But Isaac did not flinch. He squinted his eyes, inhales, and exhales before throwing his grenade.

"What the hell…" I uttered as I saw the grenade fly meters forward, landing just in front of the enemy tank.

It detonates just as the tank drives over it.

The tank was completely destroyed.

Holy hell… Was Isaac some sort of athlete before the war?

Nevertheless, we managed to neutralize the enemy tanks…

We ran like hell, finally reaching a building.

The other militia squads followed suit.

* * *

The anti-tank guns were only a few meters away.

The only thing stopping us were a few squads of Imperials.

Bullets rained on our location. Those Imperials knew if we take down those guns, our tanks will start rolling in.

Speaking of tanks…

"General!" Roswell shouted, returning fire "Imperial medium tanks!"

"Medium tanks?!" the general responded "That's just great… Anyone got any anti-tank grenades left?"

"We're out, sir!" Doss replied as a tank shell detonates in front of the building

"Damn it! Fine… Squad! We move to the building across the street! Duval! Ruz! Cover fire!"

"Righto!" Franko replied going prone and positioning his machinegun

"With pleasure!" Renee responded laughing maniacally "COME ON YOU IMPERIAL PIGS! THAT THE BEST YOU GOT?!"

The two provide heavy suppressive fire upon the enemy as we crossed the street before crossing themselves.

The guns were only just 1 block away. So close… So very close.

"Pearce!" General Barredo said as we take positions in the destroyed building "Take out that tank!"

"Roger!" Roswell replied aiming his lance

Roswell fires and destroys one of the three tanks in the area.

He quickly reloads his lance and aims for another shot but as he presses the trigger, a bullet hits his left shoulder.

He flinches and fires, completely missing his target.

"Sniper!" Desmond shouted, dragging Roswell into cover "Rain!"

"Right!" Rain responded, prepping her Lee Enfield for a shot "Aria"

Aria nods as she broke cover.

She acted as a bait, purposefully exposing herself to the enemy sniper while Rain hunts.

Me and the others engaged the other Imperials to keep em off the twins.

Suddenly, a shot flies past Aria.

"Rain. Church Tower" she said pointing at the bell tower in our Northeast

"Got it" Rain responded as Aria exposes herself again

This time, the enemy sniper had Aria in his sights.

But as he was about to fire, Rain fires first.

Her bullet pierces the man's stomach area.

"Sniper neutralized" Rain reported, pulling her rifle's bolt back

One danger down… But we still had 2 tanks to deal with.

There was only 1 lance rocket left. Roswell's shoulder didn't look too good.

I decided to take the initiative. I quickly put my rifle down and grabbed the lance.

"Denzel!" Edna shouted as I rested the lance on my right shoulder.

Machinegun fire quickly rained on my position… They must've seen me with the lance.

… By the way, I had never fired a lance before. So I just pressed the trigger and hoped for the best.

The rocket flew and hit a medium tank's treads.

Not bad for a first try… I managed to disable a medium tank.

"Nice work, Denzel" Edna said as she fires a burst "Now get back to cover!"

"R-Right" I said as a few bullets ricochet past me

We were still pinned down as the Imperials were furiously focusing their fire on our position.

"Hey Hanz" Jane asked "Got any more of those smoke grenades left?"

"I do" the general responded "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jane smiles. "You never change"

"Alright everyone!" the general said as we gathered around "Denzel, Claes, Kutner, Castder, Franko, Crocker, and Jane! You all will accompany me in crossing the street!"

"What?" Franko said

"We're gonna 'borrow' those anti-tank guns"

Two suicide tactics in one day.

Damn… One of these days, a bullet's gonna drill through my skull.

I nervously laughed as we prepared to make the run.

"Ready?" the General asked bringing out 2 smoke grenades

We all nod.

The general throws the smoke grenades.

"Run to the side of the smoke! Not the center!" he said as the smoke thickens

We followed his orders as the others kept the Imperials busy.

Just as we were midway into our run, the Imperial tank fires a mortar shell.

I was last in the line and I got caught in the explosion.

It sent me flying a few feet.

Shell-shocked and dazed, I could hardly lift my head as the smoke dissipates.

"Shit!" the General said firing his Thompson "Franko! Crocker! Help Denzel up! The rest of you provide cover and move to the guns!"

It was actually a lot of effort to keep myself conscious.

Franko and Desmond lent me their shoulders as they dragged me to cover while the others moved to secure the guns.

They put me down just behind some sandbags as Drifa checks on my injuries.

They make quick work with the Imperial crews and begin moving the anti-tank guns.

The enemy notices this and begins pelting the area with bullets while the two tanks unleash a few shells on them.

Luckily, they missed but the explosions were getting more and more precise.

It was only a matter of time before the tanks would land a direct hit.

They finally manage to properly aim the guns as another shell explodes dangerously in front of them.

"FIRE!" General Barredo shouted as Aster loads the shell and Desmond fires.

The shot was a direct hit, destroying the disabled Imperial tank.

"Shit!" Jane shouted "SHELL!"

The others notice the remaining medium tank fire a shell.

They instinctively jump away from the anti-tank gun as the enemy shell directly hits the gun.

Save for Franko, Jane, and Drifa, everyone is now suffering from shell-shock.

Franko and Jane desperately try to aim the 2nd anti-tank gun as the enemy tank moves again while Drifa keeps the enemy soldiers at bay.

Eventually the tank stops, preparing to fire another shell.

"Damn it!" Franko shouted as he pushes the anti-tank gun "Jane! Push harder!"

They weren't gonna make it at that rate.

Despite still suffering a concussion, sheer willpower allowed me to stand up and help push that gun in position.

Jane quickly loads the shell as the enemy tank barely misses us.

Franko fires the gun, hitting the tank's ragnite engine as it was attempting to move.

The tanks were finally destroyed and the anti-tank guns were ours!

You'd think the day would be over but it turns out that more enemy medium tanks were moving towards us.

The General was the first to recover. He quickly brings out a flare gun and fires it as enemy tank shells pelt the town.

* * *

At the back of the line, our tanks saw the flare.

"That's the signal!" Marian said over the radio "All armored units move out!"

The entire tank column, composed of Gallian Type 36 Medium Tanks and Federation A15 Crusaders.

They quickly rolled through the battlefield as we were desperately trying to keep the Imperials out of Town.

Upon reaching no man's land, Marian opens the hatch of her tank.

She scans the horizon with her binoculars.

Without a word, she raises her right hand as the Gallian and Federation tanks take aim.

As she puts her arm down, pointing it towards the horizon, the tank column opens fire.

A hailstorm of allied tank shells rain upon the enemy as our tanks finally roll into town.

By 10pm, we finally get a break as both sides stopped attacking one another.

Again, it took us the entire day to take this town back.

Please… For the love of Gallia, let us keep this town for good!

Well… I'll find out tomorrow if we'll be able to actually keep this town…

For now, I'm gonna get as much rest as I can.

There's still the port and the coast.

It's not over yet but for now, I'm glad I have the chance to rest…

Hell… I want some coffee but I guess a few hours of sleep is just as good…


	12. Ch 11: Pain

**November 17, 1940:**

It's been days since the Imperials first stepped on Gallia's northern shores.

We managed to keep Sluis and eventually pushed the Imperials back to the coastal belts.

Now only the port town of Ostend and Herstel remain in Imperial hands.

Turns out the Gallian and Federation navies are currently engaging the Imperials at Anthold Harbor.

Europa is one big landmass… I guess that's why Gallia and the Federation didn't really pay much attention to the navy.

So until they defeat the Imperials at Anthold Harbor, we're on our own against the Imperials in the north.

 **November 19, 1940:**

 **Herstel battlefront:**

Today was a pleasant surprise. Jake, Marvin, and Nancy, my old college buddies, are in the same battlefield as I was.

Man what a pleasant surprise that was when we both stormed into the same bunker and nearly shot each other.

Later that night, I met up with them and chatted a bit.

They were quite concerned that I didn't return to Vasel and with the whole war suddenly happening, they thought the Imperials gassed me or something.

Cheeky bastards. And oh, they also told me a funny story!

Turns out there that this girl, that Marvin really liked a few months ago, liked him too.

Normally, you'd think they'll get together but no. That is not the case.

Marvin just became cold towards her. He reasoned that he had no time for relationships.

Damn… Talk about a wasted opportunity. The girl was quite pretty too.

And now, he's denying that she liked him too.

I don't know if he's lying to himself or just so dense cuz when I was there, it was painfully obvious.

But alas, Marvin is a stubborn bastard…

Tomorrow is under day of intense fighting and death… But it's good to have times like these where we can talk and be carefree, forgetting about the war for even a short time…

… Sometimes I wish I could completely forget about all these wars…

* * *

 **November 21, 1940:**

Marvin saved my life today.

I was taking cover behind the wreckage of an Imperial tank in the middle of the street.

We were clearing the remaining buildings occupied by Imperial troops.

"There's a lot of em!" I said firing my rifle at the Imperials in front.

"More meat for the grinder!" Renee said laughing maniacally while firing her machinegun, mowing down several enemy soldiers.

Clearing the nearby buildings, we began to cross the street.

Behind me was Marvin and the others.

As we ran, Marvin saw the distinct reflection of a sniper's scope.

He quickly realized the sniper was aiming at me.

"DENZEL!" he shouted tackling me.

We both fell to the ground as the sniper's bullet knocks my helmet off.

"Sniper!" Franko shouted as we frantically ran to the nearest cover.

Rain managed to eliminate the enemy sniper a short while later.

At the end of the day, Herstel was ours.

After the fighting was over, I approached Marvin.

"Hey" I said patting his shoulder "thanks for saving my life. I owe you"

"Nah" he responded "I just did what friends, hell what fellow soldiers, do"

"Fair enough. I'd offer to buy you a drink after this war is over but you don't drink"

"Milk will do"

"Of course…"

Marvin always has this "good boy" image. No smoking, no alcohol…

He must be from a traditional family or something.

Nevertheless, I'm glad to have friends like him around.

 **November 22, 1940:**

…. …. …. … ….

Those dots up there… I couldn't think of the words to put in tonight's entry…

We… We were fighting just in the outskirts of Herstel.

After pushing the Imperials out of town, we advanced further to the coast.

Then we reached the Port Town of Ostend…

We were winning, at least that's what I thought…

"Charge!" General Barredo shouted as the Imperials began to fall back.

Infantry up front with tank support at the back, we had the Imperials on the run… Or so we thought…

The second we stepped within a few meters from the town… All hell broke loose…

"Incoming!"

We all looked up and I saw it...

The sky was filled with shells… Mortar and Ship Cannon…

"Oh fuck…" General Barredo uttered as he turns around "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!"

We all ran for our lives but we weren't fast enough to avoid those shells…

Explosions everywhere… The Imperials were literally raining death on us.

Bodies and body parts flying everywhere… The sound of the explosions pierced my ears… I could barely hear anything, save for a ringing noise.

And to pour salt into the wound, the Imperials began hammering us with heavy machine gun and sniper fire…

A cannon shell managed to destroy a Crusader that was near me.

The explosion sent me flying a few feet…

I lay there on the ground, unable to move, unable to hear, and barely able to see…

I was so ready to accept my death… Maybe it was finally time for me to pay for the things I did…

For the innocents I murdered…

But again, the world denies me peace…

Dizzy and in pain, I could barely recognize the figure that came to help me.

"Hang on, buddy!" he said lending me his shoulder

It was Marvin. He ran back to the battlefield, along with Jake, Nancy, and the other Misfits, to save me.

Marvin dragged me back as the others provided cover fire.

"Come on, Denzel!" he said panting a bit "We're almost-"

But before he could finish his sentence, a bullet hits him in the back.

It entered and exited just below his neck…

He collapsed to the ground.

Despite my dizziness, I managed to make sense of what happened immediately…

"Marvin…" I muttered as I crawl towards his unmoving body "Marvin…!"

He was gurgling. I can still remember seeing all that blood.

I clasped his right hand as tightly as I could.

"M-Me…" I uttered, struggling to say the word loudly "M-MEDIC!"

Drifa quickly turns around and checks on Marvin.

"Shit!" she said as she administers first aid on the fallen soldier "Keep calm and stay awake!"

"Marvin...!" I uttered as tears begin to roll down my face "I'm sorry…"

Marvin turns his face and looks at me.

He was in pain but he gave me a confident smile.

He put his left hand on top of mine.

"Fight… on…" he said with a pained voice

He nodded and slowly collapsed to the ground.

"No. No." Drifa said in a panicked tone "No. Don't close those eyes. Don't you dare close those eyes!"

But Marvin didn't listen… His head rests on the ground and his grip on my hand loosens…

He was gone…

I cried… I cried so hard.

This was my friend… Someone I knew for my entire time at law school!

And he died trying to help me! In front of me!

I should be the dead one! Not him!

Why am I still alive?! Why am I forced to suffer this torment?!

… Just let me die already…

 **November 24, 1940:**

It's been 2 days and we're no close to reaching that town.

Our planes are fighters… They're not designed to drop bombs on the enemy…

Hell we didn't even have actual bombers or even mortars in our arsenal…

How does command expect us to take that town?

 **November 25, 1940:**

I woke up at around 2 in the morning. I'd been suffering from nightmares since Marvin died…

I managed to get at least 3 hours of sleep but… they're not exactly straight… They're more like intervals.

I've calmed down a bit but Marvin's death still weighs heavily on me.

Another soul who died because of me…

I exited my barracks as a cold breeze blew from the coast… Boy, was it cold.

Unable to sleep, I decided to take a walk around the fortifications.

I went to the trench overlooking the spot Marvin died…

I stared at that one spot for God knows how long.

"You should be resting" a voice called to me.

I turn to see General Barredo.

"General" I uttered, saluting

"At ease" he replied "As I was saying, you should be resting, soldier. Can't have you getting tired in the middle of a firefight"

"I-I know, sir… But i-it's just… I couldn't sleep"

"Still feeling guilty over your friend's death?"

"Y-Yes sir…" I sheepishly replied, turning my head down.

"I understand… I believe he said some final words to you. Care to share them?"

"Um well… yes… He said 'fight on'…"

"Do you understand what he meant with that line?"

"Yes sir…"

"What is it then?"

"He means that I should continue the fight"

"Why?"

"B-Because the battle's not over and we have to-"

"Wrong"

"What?"

"The reason why we have to keep on fighting is because we're still alive"

"Sir?"

"I read your file. Although I don't condone your actions, hell I'll be frank I straight up condemn them. But I can empathize your motivations"

So he knows…

"Do you have regrets?" he asked

"Y-Yes…" I responded with my head down

"As you should be. But did you learn anything from those experiences?"

"Um… Well…"

"You don't have to tell me. I can feel that you're barely understanding what I'm trying to say"

No kidding… I was having a hard time keeping up with what you were saying

"What I'm saying is" he continued "these deaths are all the more reason for us to continue the fighting"

"So that we can honor their sacrifice?"

"Something like that"

"Forgive me sir but doesn't that seem dismissive? It's like we should simply forget about them and move on"

"Not exactly. A soldier shouldn't let casualties affect their performance. If I allowed every death to affect me the same way it affects you, I won't be an effective commander now, won't I?"

"No sir"

"Exactly. We all knew what we were signing up for the second we were recruited into the military and militia. You do know what you signed up, right?"

"Y-Yes sir but…"

"I know the circumstances of your recruitment. But you stayed nonetheless so I can assume that you chose to stay and you know that death is to be expected"

"..Yes"

"But knowing that danger full well, you all still signed up or, for your case, stayed. Why?"

"Uh… Um…"

"It's because you all want to fight for something! Be it for your country, your ideology, your religion, or even your own damn self. We all have reason to fight. That's what it means to be alive. We have a reason to continue living, fighting, and suffering"

"Suffering?"

"Only the dead don't suffer, kid. Do you understand me?"

"Um… I guess so sir"

"Chin up!" the general said slamming his palm on my back "You still got years of your life to understand what I just said. But for now, we still got a war to fight!"

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Very good. Now would you be so kind to call Sergeant Duval for me? She should be back at the barracks"

"Yes sir"

Call Renee? Why would he need her at this hour?

I walk to the barracks but Renee wasn't inside.

I went around the back and I found her, sitting on top of an ammo box, reading a book.

"Renee" I called but she didn't seem to hear me

"Renee" I called again, tapping her shoulder.

"Eek!" she uttered, dropping her book.

"Oh… um…" I said, picking up her book "I-I'm sorry for startling you"

"I-Its ok, D-Denzel" She said with a soft tone "S-So… um… W-What do you need?"

I swear. Outside of the battlefield, she's so shy and soft spoken.

It's almost as if I'm talking to someone else.

"Um…" I responded "General Barredo is calling you. He's by the front trenches"

"Oh right. I'll be on my way. Thank you, Denzel"

I was curious what the general was planning so I accompanied Renee back.

Upon returning to the general, I noticed him scouting the immediate area and writing something down on his notebook.

"Ah Sergeant Duval" he said "I am in need of your expertise"

"Yes sir" Renee answered

"What are you planning to do sir?" I asked

General Barredo smiles as he leads the both of us into the literal minefield that is no man's land.

 **6:00am:**

As we took cover behind the trenches, I finally heard the sound of plane engines.

Sora, Wilson, and their squad are finally here.

Spitfires, Mustangs, and a 3rd aircraft that I'd never seen before.

They called the 3rd one, "Hawker Typhoons".

"General" Sora said over the radio "This is Red 1 we're at the battle zone. Awaiting orders"

"Copy Red 1" the general responded "Make sure those Typhoons reach their targets! I want those ship cannons silenced! Am I clear?"

"Copy that"

"Red 1" Wilson reported "Bandits! 7 o'clock"

"I see them. All interceptors go with Red 2 and engage those bandits. The rest stay close to the Typhoons. General Barredo wants those ships sunk!"

"Wilco Red 1. All interceptors on me!"

Wilson and his squad fly ahead and engage the enemy BF-109s as Sora and her squad spins down and dives as the skies erupt with machinegun and AA fire.

"Protect the bombers!" Sora commanded as seveal BF-109s and I-16s open fire behind her squad.

She and the other fighters quickly turn around and engage the enemy planes.

Sora and her squad unleashes a barrage from the left of the 109s and I-16s, shooting down several of them.

Meanwhile, the Typhoons continues their run as flak cannons from the ships blacken the sky.

A few go down in the ensuing rain.

The ones that survived the AA fire, unload their bombs upon the enemy ships.

The ships erupt into flames, their cannons silenced.

"Target eliminated" one of the Typhoon pilots reported

"Copy that" Sora acknowledged "General. Ships are quiet! On you, sir!"

* * *

"I copy" the general responded "Lt. Dupont. It's your stage!"

"Roger" the tank driver responded as Gallian and Federation tanks roll into no man's land.

The tanks suddenly stop just in front of our trench line.

General Barredo climbs on Marian's Tank, using the turret as cover.

"Use the tanks as cover!" he commanded "Advance! Let's pummel these bastards to oblivion!"

The general then brings out a whistle.

"For Gallia!" he exclaimed blowing on the whistle

The tanks move forward, firing their machineguns and cannons, with us moving close behind.

"Watch out for snipers!" Jane shouted as bullets and mortars rain around us.

"Denzel!" the general shouted "Radio!"

I quickly ran to Marian's tank. I climbed on top of it and handed my radio to the general.

"Captain Andersen!" he shouted as bullets hit the tank's turret, with Marian responding with a tank shell "I got mortars raining down on me. Can you take em out?"

"I'll try, general!" Sora responded as she shoots down an enemy I-16 "I got flak everywhere! But I see the enemy mortar teams!"

"Get it done!"

"Wilco! Red 6, 7, and 8. On me!"

"Roger!" the allied pilots responded as they converge on Sora's plane.

"Red 2! I need someone to put some heat on those flak cannons!"

"Copy that!" Wilson responded

Under heavy anti-air fire, Sora and her squad fly around the port town.

They conduct several strafing runs on the Imperials.

Minutes later, the mortars stopped falling as we continued our advance.

Back to Sora, several enemy BF-109s dive from above.

They unleash a barrage, shooting down 2 planes.

"Damn it!" Sora said as the 2 plane fall from the sky "Red 7 and 8 are going down!"

Sora and Red 6 quickly turn their planes around, heading towards the water, with Imperial BF-109s close behind.

They fly as low as they could, evading machinegun and flak fire.

"Captain!" Red 6 reported "Enemy PT boats!"

"Keep moving!" Sora responded as the PT boats open fire "Don't let them get a bead on you!"

She quickly performs a barrel roll, while slowing down a bit.

The enemy plane overshoots her, enabling Sora to strike back.

She shoots down 2 planes and continues chasing the remaining enemy planes attacking Red 6.

Back on our side, we were slowly pushing the Imperials back with very little casualties despite the hail of bullets and sniper fire on us.

I guess what we did hours ago pulled off…

* * *

 **Hours earlier:**

It was a crazy plan actually… General Barredo had us crawl through no man's land.

We moved so close to the Imperial lines that I was surprised they never noticed us.

Using Renee's experience with explosives, we slowly disarmed enemy landmines in the area.

And the general took notes on where to advance and take cover from.

It was a bit nerve-wracking since we had to crawl the entire time and avoid enemy spotlights.

After we were done disarming the mines, which were mostly placed close to the Imperial trenches, we returned to ours.

On the way back, I notice 3 more individuals crawling in the area.

"Gene-" I said as he covers my mouth

"I know" he responded

* * *

I can see why he's so revered. While we saw defeat and difficulty, he saw opportunity and exploitation.

He exploited the Imperial's high morale against them, he made them become arrogant and careless which gave him an opening to break through.

Because of this, we managed to enter the town in less than 30 minutes.

Suddenly, my radio receives a transmission.

It was Desmond. That was when I realized that he, Aria, and Rain aren't with us...

Unbeknownst to most of us, even the Imperials, Desmond, Aria, and Rain managed to sneak behind enemy lines.

As the battle continued to rage, the three soldiers were hiding inside a bell tower.

"Barredo" Desmond reported "We're in position"

"You know what to do, Crocker" The general responded.

Desmond smiles as he and Aria descend the tower while Rain begins sniping enemy soldiers with her rifle.

Desmond and Aria burst out of the church and begin moving to their objective, the radio station

They run through the Imperials lines, shooting down Imperial after Imperial.

Surprisingly, the Imperials barely responded to their attacks.

I guess they were busy with us.

Desmond and Aria quickly made their way towards the enemy radio station.

They bust into the building, neutralizing the enemy soldiers inside.

With the radios under our control, Desmond began sending mixed commands throughout the Imperial troops.

This caused their forces to fall into disarray.

General Barredo's strategy worked. We managed to sow chaos within the Imperial ranks which made it easier for us to advance with minimal casualties.

With their ships burning and all land routes cut, the remaining Imperial soldiers had no other choice than to surrender.

Their defeat ended the Imperial threat in the north and the coastal belt was ours again.

* * *

 **November 26, 1940:**

Today, we held a small funeral for Marvin and the other soldiers who died during the course of these battles…

It was a quick one… We simply said our prayers and buried them just outside of Ostend…

I can never get used to seeing people die in front of me… Especially people I knew…

Just a few days ago, we were talking and laughing with Marvin and now, we're burying him.

General Barredo has a point though.

Although I don't completely understand the things he said, he's right about not letting these deaths affect my performance.

It would be an insult for Marvin to see me sulk and allow myself to get killed in a battle.

I decide to hold onto his dogtag, another dogtag to add to my 'collection'…

* * *

 **Diebal Mountains, Southern Gallia**

It was a snowy afternoon.

Emilia walks through the snow covered ground.

She opens her right hand and grabs some of the falling snow, her eyes filled with sorrow.

She looks up.

"…Aster…" she muttered with a tear running down her face

"Major Lauldi" an Imperial soldier called "Commander Tulius wants to speak with you"

"Right…" she said as she walks back towards the Imperial camp

At the same time, several Imperial soldiers and bipedal 'tanks' move into the fortified town of Louvere.


	13. Ch 12: Nighttime

**November 30, 1940:**

The coasts are finally cleared! The last pockets of Imperial resistance finally surrendered earlier today.

I thought we'd get at least some rest… I was wrong.

Just yesterday, the Imperials managed to break through the Diebal Mountains. How much manpower does the Empire have?!

Rumors circulate that the Imperials were using walking tanks.

Walking tanks? That's a weird rumor. I've heard a lot of tall tales about Imperial weapons but this is the first time I heard of 'walking tanks'.

But I do remember reading up about some country centuries ago that had 'walking tanks' but come on… really?

But yeah… That just means we're headed south this time…

War is hell…

 **December 2, 1940:**

We're stopping by Randgriz to stock up on weapons and supplies. Sora and Wilson went ahead of us and they should be in Melvere by now…

Also, we're not gonna halt the Imperial advance. We're not even headed to the Deibal Mountains.

General Barredo told us that another militia and army battalion will keep the Imperials at bay.

So instead of the Diebal Mountains, we're being sent to Fort Belgen in the southeast Gallia to reinforce the border and eventually march into Imperial territory.

We'll be joining the 15th Infantry and 9th Armored Divisions of the army.

General Barredo told us our target was a supply base in the Perm Desert, the Imperial territory before the Diebal Mountains.

So we'd cross the border in the southeast and work our way south to choke the advancing Imperial forces.

In the meantime, Squads 3, 5, and 8 pf the militia will be keeping the Imperials at bay.

 **December 5, 1940:**

It was around 4:30pm when we arrived at Fort Belgen.

A medieval castle built on top of a mountain converted into a military fort in 1923. Surrounded by woodland, cliffs, and rough terrain on all sides, a single road serves as a connection between the Gallian town of Yuell and the open grasslands of Tomsk in Imperial territory and this 'fort' is the gate.

The castle is pretty small for something that was built in the medieval period… Only having 2 floors. Maybe this was one of those 'vacation homes' those old nobles had back then.

The 1st floor contained the barracks, an armory, and the border gate itself.

The 2nd floor is mostly an open space with a single… uh… what do you call it? Room? I don't really know what it's called but there's this… tower? That was supposedly the bedroom for the old nobles that used to stay here. Well… today, that small tower serves as the radio room.

The rest is an open space with 4 corners. I guess if you look at this from the sky, it'll look like a square. And each corner was supposed to have an AA gun placed on it.

The way I described the fort was what it looked like yesterday.

Imperial lancer rockets crippled the southern corners, hell the southwestern corner looks like it's ready to fall off the mountain, while Imperial planes utterly obliterated the northern corners.

The 15th Infantry Division suffered heavy casualties in the weeks they've been fighting to keep this place.

The 9th Armored still need another day to get here so I guess the 506th will have this fort mostly to ourselves… Oh god…

The afternoon and early evenings were kind of peaceful. No planes, no Imperials, no shots. It was a welcome break actually…

But it was also weird since there were occasional Imperial squads coming in.

They must have realized how hard it is to take this fort… I mean it's so easy to spot them coming miles away literally down the road.

I guess our only threat now is the airforce.

Speaking of airforce… I wonder how Sora and Wilson are doing.

They're stationed in an airfield near Mellvere.

I've been exchanging letters with Sora throughout this conflict actually.

I gotta admit any conversation with her is quite fun even for someone like me.

Hell writing to her helped me cope with Marvin's death…

The last letter I got from her was 3 days ago. She told me they were going to test a new warplane.

I wonder how that went…

 **December 6, 1940:**

It was around midnight. Since the 15th didn't have much manpower left, we were forced to rotate guards. Although, Arian, Rain, and Desmond don't seem to be too cooperative with us on this department…

Anyway, it was my turn along with Roswell, Marian, Edna, and Aster… We started guard duty at around 11pm so only 3 more hours before we're relieved.

Save for Marian and Aster, we were patrolling the 2nd floor, guarding the spotlights while Marian was by the road on the 1st floor checking on her tank while Aster stationed himself near the southwestern side of the fort.

We were bored out of our minds.

The night was peaceful. And hardly anything happens at night even in 1935, night was almost always reserved for sleep and rest. There's the occasional combat situation but they look more like playground fights than actual firefights. It's like an unspoken rule that armies consider nighttime as rest time!

So in our boredom, me, Edna, and Roswell sat down near the searchlights. Only thing missing from this was a campfire.

We exchanged stories about our civilian lives before the war…

"You were a business man?" I asked, shocked at hearing Roswell's story

"Yep" he replied "I used to run a sugar mill in Texel, near the Imperial border, back in '32"

"What happened to it?"

"Well… The war came. My mill was destroyed, I relocated my family deeper into federation territory, enlisted, and the rest is history"

That's weird" Edna said "You said you were a businessman but why'd you enlist? I heard if you had the money, you can pay your way out of a draft"

"Ha. I knew someone would ask that. Why would a rich businessman go down to the level of a grunt?"

"I-I didn't mean it like that"

"Don't worry, lass. To tell you the truth, I'm doing this not just because of patriotism but also… repentance"

"Repentance?"

"Starting a business isn't all sunshine, dear. I had to do a lot of hard work to get that mill running. I wasn't cruel to anyone, not even to my Darcsen workers but my busy schedule didn't give me much time to spend with my family"

"What do you mean?"

"I have a wife and twins, boy and girl. I tried my best to be a good father to my kids but my work demands I give less time for them…"

"So you think by joining the war, you're repenting for being neglectful?"

"Edna…" I said noticing Edna was a bit disturbed by Roswell's story

"It's not just about repentance. By fighting in this war, I'm hoping that I can give my kids a future where they won't experience what we're experiencing…"

"You think your kids will smile when the next time they see you is inside a coffin?"

Roswell doesn't respond.

"Your kids just want to spend time with you! They don't need a hero! They need-"

"Edna!" I said, placing my right hand on her left shoulder.

She looks at me for a second before hanging her head low. "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok" Roswell replied "I know it looks like I'm running away but if the Imperials roll deeper into the Federation… I don't know what'll happen to my family... Especially my kids. So I'm doing what I think is right. My kids may not understand why I did this now or even years from now… But I do hope they will. And if I do survive this war, I'll make things right"

"How old are your kids?" I asked

"12"

"Then you have to make sure you don't die then"

"I don't plan to"

Roswell then brings out a picture of his wife and kids. Staring at them with great sorrow, I guess he was holding his tears back because I swear he was ready to cry.

It was a gloomy silence for a few minutes before we decided to go back to our patrol.

Edna and Roswell a bit more gloomy than usual… I think sharing stories was a bad idea…

I don't know why but I decided to walk down to the 1st floor.

I wanted to check on Marian and Aster.

I walked down to the 1st floor.

Heading outside, I immediately noticed the distinctive smell of cigarette smoke.

I followed the scent to the woodland on the west side of the fort.

It was Aster. He was sitting down under a tree, looking at… I think it was a picture.

He was clearly sad looking at the photo. Maybe it's a picture of dead loved ones or something?

Man… We all have some kind of emotional baggage.

I heard Aster monologue a bit.

"Croix…" he said "… What should I do?"

I didn't want to intrude any further so I left.

I then went to the gate, immediately spotting Marian's Type 36 Tank.

She parked the tank on the side of the road of the Imperial side of the border.

As I walked closer, I saw Marian emerge from under the tank. She was writing something in her notebook. Her hands were covered in oil and dots of it littered around her face.

"Denzel?" she said noticing me "What can I do for you?"

"N-Nothing, really" I replied "So um… what's in the notebook?"

Marian holds her notebook tightly as she glares at me.

"N-No" I said "I-I'm not trying to pry… I… uh… I just… um… wanted to start a conversation"

Marian sighs. "Ok. Let's talk"

"Huh?"

"You know my sister, right?"

"Y-Yeah"

"My Sister mentioned you in a couple of her letters back then"

"She did?"

"Yes. So… I want to know… about… her death… How did my sister die exactly? The military won't tell me"

I had a feeling that question would pop up when I talk to Marian…

I was there during Elena's funeral 3 years ago… But I didn't have the courage to even look at her family, let alone approach them…

Let's leave my reasoning as 'survivor's guilt' for now…

"Denzel?" Marian said

I didn't know what to say… I was struggling whether or not to tell Marian…

"Well…" I said, trying to get the words out of my mouth

But before I could continue, I noticed movement down the road.

I acted quickly and tackled Marian to the ground as a bullet flies above us, hitting the tank.

"Contact!" one of the soldiers from the 15th shouted as the spotlights illuminate the road, revealing an Imperial squad. Literally a second later, bullets started flying.

"Are you ok?" I asked

"I'm fine" Marian replied

She brings out her Nagant M1895 Revolver.

We open fire on the Imperials that were too close for comfort.

"Get in the tank!" I shouted "I'll cover you!"

Marian nods and runs to her tank while I provide cover fire.

She quickly steps on the gas as enemy lancers rain mortar and rockets on us.

The rockets miss and the tank's turret quickly turns to the enemy squad.

She fires one shell, causing the Imperials to scatter.

After 5 minutes of fighting, I noticed that the Imperials weren't letting up.

I could have sworn we managed to kill a few of them but their numbers don't seem to be going down…

This was not a small squad…

I took cover behind Marian's tank as the others emerge from the fort, their sleep cut short by explosives and gunfire.

The Imperials were steadily advancing up the road and the fact that most of the area was dark made it even harder to even aim my rifle.

A small group of Imperials managed to reach the vicinity of the gate.

We were caught by surprise as they rain bullets on us. I quickly ran to the tank's side.

Several soldiers from the 15th go down as the Imperials move closer.

I quickly break cover as me, Aria, Desmond, Jane, Franko, and General Barredo fire upon the Imperials while Doss and Drifa carry the bodies of the 15th out of the firefight.

The others then gather by Marian's tank.

"What happened?!" General Barredo asked as he commands the others take positions around the area.

"Imperial patrol!" I answered "They suddenly appeared down the road!"

We both paused as we heard the familiar sound of plane engines.

"SHIT!" the general shouted turning to the others "GET DOWN!"

We all took cover as enemy BF 109s fire on our position.

"This doesn't feel like a patrol!" the general said standing up "This doesn't feel like a skirmish either!"

"Rocket!" Desmond shouted as we all run and jump away from Marian's tank.

The rocket hits the treads, severely damaging them.

Marians struggles to move the tank.

Noticing the enemy lancers getting ready to shoot again, I quickly ran to the tank.

I opened the hatch and jumped inside as the others returned fire.

"Marian!" I said grabbing her shoulder "Get out of the tank!"

"No!" she replied "This is Elena's tank! I can't abandon it!"

"Damn it, Marian!" I said pulling her out of the tank

"Hey!"

"I am not letting you be a hero like her!"

Marian's eyes widen, hearing the last words I said.

She finally stopped protesting and we jumped off the tank as several lances destroy the tank.

"NO!" Marian shouted "SIS!"

Angry, Marian picks up a fallen OG-43 and begins furiously firing at the Imperials.

"Jane! Crocker!" General Barredo said as the two approach him "Take command down here! Do not let this line fall!"

"Yes sir!" Jane responded while Desmond nods.

"Denzel! Franko! You're with me!"

"R-Right!" I said as me, the general, and Franko headed inside the fort.

As we ran to the staircase, the fort shakes as if there was an earthquake. We press on despite the shaking.

Getting up to the 2nd floor, the area wasn't looking any better.

A gaping hole on the northern end of the fort. Most of the AA guns were destroyed, save for the one at that corner that was ready to fall off.

Soldiers, weapons drawn, frantically fighting the Imperials even using their rifles and machine guns in a futile effort to engage the enemy aircraft.

"Goddamn it!" General Barredo shouted "You people pull yourselves together!"

He grabs several soldiers' uniforms.

"Pull yourselves together, damn it!" he shouted "You're all supposed to be soldiers! Now get your shit together, find cover, and use those rifles and machine guns against the enemy infantry!"

"Y-Yes sir!" the soldiers said, complying.

"Franko! Denzel!" the general said turning to us "Take command of here! I have a call to make!"

We nodded as we headed to our objectives.

We dug in as best we could. Using twisted metal and rubble as cover. But someone had to operate the spotlights and damn. No cover whatsoever. Operating those spotlights guarantees death by planes, if not infantry.

Minutes go by as both sides continue to exchange fire with no clear winner in sight.

The 109s were giving us a hard time. Every strafing run, we had to either run, hide, or hit the deck, praying a 7.92mm round won't drill down our bodies.

I hope the general managed to call for reinforcements…

We couldn't contact the people on the 1st floor so we have no way to communicate other than to stick our heads out, shout, and hope they heard us.

So driven by adrenaline, desperation, and maybe insanity, I ran on open ground, dodging the 109s' strafing runs, headed towards the last functional AA gun.

I'm still wondering how I'm still alive.

Yeah. I still hid behind cover but most of the time, I simply ran and hit the deck.

Eventually, I reached, the teetering corner.

I didn't even think. I jumped on and went straight for the AA gun, firing away the second I was able.

I was once again reminded on how inexperienced I was at night combat.

The enemy planes were noisy but it's not like I can properly pinpoint their exact location in the sky.

So imagine literally blind firing an AA gun into the air.

I managed to shoot down a few planes… surprisingly until a different plane comes from the darkness.

This plane looked different from the usual 109.

It had 2 engines and looked bigger. Later, I found out these planes were called BF 110s… wow…

Yep… If the fact that it was a full scale attack wasn't obvious before, it was obvious now.

I quickly abandon the AA gun as bombs fall on the corner, destroying it.

The 110s drop bombs around the fort.

I thought the Imperials were trying to capture the fort but it looks like they want to destroy it!

The bombs were dropped barely at the front, damaging part of the fort, mostly at the Imperial side of the border.

I guess night combat isn't something common to Imperials either…

But those planes will turn around eventually.

No more AA guns either so… It was a pretty grim situation…

I was shell shocked for a moment.

"Denzel!" Edna said picking me up

Despite being in a daze, I could distinctively hear and see the BF 110s circling around, ready for another bombing run.

Just then, I saw several silhouettes above them. The skies light up as the silhouettes are revealed to be our reinforcements!

"I hope we're not late!" Sora said over the radio

"Not at all!" General Barredo responded "You're just in time!"

"Roger that! We'll take care of the flyers!"

I also noticed the allied planes weren't Spitfires, Mustangs, or even Typhoons.

One plane flew close to us and I managed to see what it looked like.

One small compartment for the pilot at the front. 2 engines. And a design that makes me think of a kite. I guess these were the new planes they were testing…

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning… A multipurpose plane that was much quieter compared to the other planes.

Those silent engines helped Sora and the others catch the Imperial pilots by surprise as the dark skies made it hard to visually spot them.

The 110s didn't stand a chance as the P-38s swarmed the enemy planes. The 109s didn't fare any better either.

This helped turn the tide as we gained control of the skies, enabling us to push the Imperials back.

It took another hour but we managed to keep the fort… albeit suffering heavy casualties.

* * *

 **Diebal Mountains:**

A messenger pigeon arrives at the Imperial camp.

A soldier grabs the message it was carrying and brings it to the command tent.

"Commander Tulius" he said handing the message to a red haired young woman.

She reads the message and couldn't help but give a mischievous smile.

"Interesting…" she said "… Send word to the Perm outpost"

"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier replied exiting the tent.

She then looks at a map of Gallia as Emilia enters the tent.

"You called me, ma'am?" she asked

"Yes" the commander answered "Take the 4th Walker Division and go back to Perm"

"Perm?"

"Gallian troops were spotted near Tomsk. They'll most likely target that base to force us to retreat"

"Yes ma'am!"

Emilia attempts to leave the tent.

"Oh Emilia!" the commander added "My network tells me your boyfriend is among the soldiers marching to Perm"

Emilia holds her breath at the revelation.

"Don't make any mistakes now… Don't forget that you're still under suspicion"

"Of course" Emilia replied, trying to sound calm

"Oh and when you see your boyfriend" the commander said as she stabs her combat knife on the table "Make him feel pain, do you understand?"

Emilia couldn't bring the words out for a second.

"U-Understood" she said

"Good. Now go"

"Yes ma'am…"

Emerging from the tent, Emilia walks a few more steps before she could no longer control the tears.

She quickly hid inside her tent.

She opens her bag, grabbing a photo of her and Aster.

Sorrowful, she could only kneel down and place the photo over her heart.

"Aster…" she said as a few tears fall down her cheeks


	14. Ch 13: Battle of Perm

**December 7, 1940:**

The reinforcements finally arrived. They were late for the party though…

Because of last night's raid, I barely had any sleep…

Good thing the coffee kept me conscious throughout the day…

But I had bigger concern to worry about.

I had never seen Marian act so emotional before. So that Type 38 tank she piloted for the past few months was the same tank Elena piloted 3 years ago.

I was really worried for her…

I can only guess what she felt when that tank was destroyed right in front of her. It must've felt like seeing her sister die a second time.

* * *

It wasn't really difficult to find her. She was sitting next to the destroyed Type 38.

She had her back against the tank… or what's left of it least while writing something on that notebook of hers.

To be honest, part of me didn't want to approach her… She might open up last night's topic again…

Nonetheless, I was more worried about her well-being.

"Marian" I called

"Denzel?" she replied putting her notebook down "I'm alright if you're wondering… This was sis' tank but we have a war to fight"

"Right… So what'll happen now?"

"I don't know… General Barredo said there are no reserves so I'll have to wait"

"Oh… So you're gonna be in the frontlines then?"

"Where else would I be?"

"Well… uh… are you ok with that?"

"What? Of course I'm ok. I may prefer to be in a tank but I can hold my own!"

"R-Right… Sorry"

"Look. I'm alright. Losing sis' tank hurt a lot but there's nothing we can do about it"

"Yeah…"

"Anyway, can I be alone for a while…"

"O-Oh. O-Of course. Sorry"

You can just imagine how awkward that conversation was.

Losing Elena's Type 38 hit Marian harder than what she let on…

But I think I made the right decision not to press the issue… Hopefully she'll be able to share her pains to someone in time…

* * *

 **December 8, 1940:**

Right now, we're inside a town called Zarasai.

A lot of water. That's the only thing I can say about this place.

Basically an Imperial Vasel except one road is blocking our advance instead of a bridge.

The Imperials are using every trick in the book and every object in the area to keep us from marching deeper into their territory.

Good thing this place isn't our problem.

We'll be heading south in a few hours.

If things go as planned, Perm should be an easy victory tomorrow.

 **December 9, 1940:**

At around the early morning, Sora and her squad fly to Perm.

I was shocked to hear that they were flying Spitfires and Mustangs again.

Turns out the P-38s were just prototypes and weren't ready for mass production.

"I got eyes on the bombers" Sora said peering down her cockpit

Below her squad are a group of Bristol Beaufighters, flying in formation.

"Keep an eye out for Imperials!"

Sora and her squad left way earlier than ours.

Their mission was to escort a bunch of Bristol Beaufighters to bomb the supply base.

That way, the Imperial defenses in the area will be too damaged to stave off our assault. Looking at the map, I can see why we need to take this base out.

Not just because of the invasion force inside southern Gallia but because the Imperials can flank us from this position.

According to the general, if things go well, Perm should be an easy win.

But things aren't that simple…

We may plan for a lot of factors but we can't plan for them all…

Sora and her squad of Spitfires and Mustangs will learn that firsthand 15,000 feet above Perm.

"10 minutes out" Wilson said

"No Imperials in half an hour" a Spitfire pilot added "Looks like this base is as good as ours"

"Don't peg this as a success just yet" Sora replied "Until we bomb that base and get back home, I don't want anyone letting their guard down"

"Roger" he responds as he notices a group of planes flying almost side by side just below their position "Wait. Are those guys ours?"

It didn't look like any normal aerial formation but rather something akin to an infantry formation.

"They don't look like I-16s or 109s" Wilson remarked peeking down "But they don't look like anything from the Federation either"

Sora contemplates as the planes neared the bombers.

"They're getting too close for comfort" Sora said "Let's get closer"

Unfortunately, those planes weren't friendly as they immediately open fire upon the bombers.

Turns out they were Yaholev Yak-1s.

The Imperials were conducting test flights for these new aircraft.

I guess they spotted the Bristols and decided to test them under fire.

"They're engaging the bombers!" a mustang pilot exclaimed as the Bristols' rear gunners return fire.

The Yaks stay in formation as they close the distance with the bombers.

"Look alive people!" Sora said as she dives "These guys aren't friendly! Shoot em out of the sky!"

She flies straight to the front of the formation.

She unloads a couple of rounds and pulls up as the Yaks disperse and engage the Federation planes.

"Don't give em any room!" Sora said as she chases after a Yak as it attacks another Bristol.

The Bristol's rear gunner fires but the Yak continues to buzz behind the plane.

These new planes were something. They can withstand a lot of punishment.

From what I was told, they gave Sora's spitfires and mustangs a run for their money.

"Tough bastard!" Sora remarked firing another barrage

She misses as the enemy Yak fires on the Bristol.

The Bristol's right engine catches fire.

The bomber loses altitude as the Yak flies off.

"Damn it!" Sora shouts as she continues pursuing the Yak into the clouds below.

Bursting through the clouds, Sora spots her target.

He was flying a few feet off the ground.

She fire another barrage.

The Yak evades and flies upward.

Sora pulls back up.

As she emerges from the clouds, Sora spots her target flying towards her.

"What the hell?!" she utters, frantically evading the barrage "How'd he turn around that fast?!"

The enemy plane disappears into the clouds.

"Ah… Damn it" Sora utters as she sees several parachutes and debris falling from the sky

Sora quickly turns around and resumes her pursuit.

Emerging from the clouds, Sora spots her target dangerously close.

"Not this time!" she utters as she returns fire "How do you like that!"

Her shots hit the Yak's right wing.

The Yak flies straight into the clouds with a trail of black smoke behind it.

This time, Sora does not pursue him.

But it didn't take long for the Yak to emerge from the clouds again.

"Too fast!" she utters as the shots puncture her left wing "Wait. It didn't even hurt it?!"

Despite hitting the plane earlier, the Yak was unscathed.

Sora quickly dives with the Yak in close pursuit.

The enemy plane fires another barrage.

Sora narrowly evades them all.

"You got skill" Sora muttered "But I'm better"

As the enemy plane fire another barrage, Sora quickly pulls up.

The enemy plane overshoots her.

Sora quickly levels her plane.

"You're mine now" she utters as she dives

She was right behind the Yak but as she was about to fire, Sora felt uneasy.

She said that she had this feeling of dread looming over her.

She had a clear shot but Sora described that she felt firing at that moment would mean her death…

It was a gut feeling, basically.

So Sora decided to look behind her.

She immediately spots another Yak on her tail.

This one had a trail of black smoke behind it.

"So that's why…" Sora remarked with a chuckle "Not really fair to gang up on someone like that… Nice trick but not gonna be enough to get me!"

Sora evades the Yak's barrage while maintaining her sights on the Yak in front of her.

After a while, she fires on the Yak.

She sets its right wing on fire but the plane continues to fly.

She smirks as the Yak behind her opens fire.

The shots hit her plane, a couple even managed to break through her canopy.

Alarms blare in the cockpit.

"Huh?! Oh damn it! Leaking fuel…"

The plane in front of her turns to the right, flying deeper into Imperial territory.

Unwilling to pursue her target, Sora turns to the opposite direction with the other Yak still in pursuit.

The Yak fires another barrage.

She barely dodges them as another bullet pierces through her canopy.

"Too damn close!" she utters, increasing speed "These guys are rookies!"

The enemy plane picks up speed as well while unleashing another barrage.

As the Yak fires another barrage, Sora quickly does a barrel roll.

The enemy plane overshoots her.

"Heh. You're mine now"

With a triumphant smile, Sora aligns her sights and opens fire.

The Yak skillfully evades the shots but a few manage to hit the Yak's left wing.

She prepares for another barrage when another alarm blares in her cockpit.

"Almost out huh…" she mutters "To shoot or not to shoot…"

According to Sora, she had two options:

1\. Try to shoot down this Yak but risk crash landing behind enemy lines; or

2\. Return to base

"Hurt my pride there…" Sora muttered as she weighs her options "… Haven't gotten the chance to return the favor…"

Unsurprisingly, Sora decides to attack one more time before retreating.

She carefully aims before firing her last barrage.

The bullets hit their mark, setting the plane on fire.

"Ha! Payback!"

As she flies off, Sora sees the Imperial Pilot eject from the plane.

But it wasn't a pleasant sight…

Sora's spitfire and the Yak were dangerously close to the ground…

He didn't have time to deploy his parachute…

Sora said she saw his body hit the ground and fly a few feet upwards before landing near the plane's wreckage…

Her smile quickly disappears. "Ah… That's not nice…"

She said this sight reminded her that inside these metallic flying machines were human beings. Living, breathing people with friends and families to go back to…

It's quite easy to forget that you're fighting another living person when you're in the frontlines…

Every soldier has an entire life outside of these killings.

Friends, family, children…

All of us has our own reason for joining this carnage…

It kind of pains me that many will never see their homes and loved ones again.

Doomed to spend their last moments in a hole in the ground, an old road, or even the remains of a house they never lived in…

And I'm contributing to the ever increasing body count…

With her target destroyed, Sora begins her flight back to base.

"Red 2" she said on the radio "What's the status of the bombers?"

"We lost a couple of em" Wilson replied "But we're keeping the enemy planes at bay! The Bristols are about to begin their bombing run!"

"Roger that. I'm leaking fuel so I'll be flying back to base. You take over Red 2"

"Copy that. Stay safe, Red 1"

A few minutes later, the Bristols drop their bombs but most miss their target.

Instead of the Imperial supply base, we bombed the Town of Perm to oblivion.

From what I heard, 30 Bristol Beufighters flew on this mission.

Only 17 will make it home…

Not to mention the 4 mustangs and 2 spitfires that were shot down too…

* * *

 **Later that morning:**

We arrived on the outskirts of town at around 8am.

I can clearly see the town from where we were…

Or what's left of it at least…

I don't even know if I should call it a town anymore.

Most of the buildings were nothing more than piles of charred rubble and the streets were filled with craters.

We'll be moving to secure these ruins in more or less an hour.

But before all that, General Barredo will be briefing us.

Inside the command tent, we huddled around a map of the area.

"Here's the situation" the general said pointing to the Northwestern part of the map "The bombers missed the supply base but at least they managed to level the Imperial garrisons in the town"

"There weren't any civilians in town, were there?" Aster asked

"The town was evacuated when the Imperials rolled in 4 years ago. Don't worry"

It was relieving to hear that… But I do remember Franko giving a sour look at the General.

I hope that's not what I think it means.

"So do we just roll in?" Desmond asked

"Something like that" the general responded "Our scouts report a small number of Imperial squads in town but they're not elites. We'll move in from the east and secure the square in the middle of town"

"There's barely any cover in that area" Sonia remarked

"How do you know that?" Roswell asked

"I saw through my binoculars. You can even ask Rain for confirmation. She was with me"

"It's true" Rain added "Unless you count the fountain and the craters as cover"

"Don't worry" the general continued "That's what the engineers are for. Your job is to secure the square and keep those Imperials away from the engineers while they put up sandbags"

"You expect us to fight with barely any cover?" Aria asked

"You have a better idea?" the general responded "I'm open for suggestions, people"

No one spoke.

"No one?" the general said "Ok then. We stick to my plan. I'll be in the frontlines of course so this old man's gonna show all you kids how this shit is done. If no one has any more to say, then gear up. We'll move in 5 minutes"

* * *

Our attack began at around 8:30am.

To tell you the truth, we were expecting heavier resistance…

There were Imperial soldiers still in the town but we easily pushed them back…

The scouts' intel was spot on. The Imperial soldiers were just regular foot soldiers.

But it makes me wonder why they didn't try reinforcing their positions.

They had at least enough time to fortify some of it but no.

We even pushed them way beyond the square and in only an hour too.

It was almost too easy quite honestly and it kind of unnerved us a bit, especially General Barredo.

This feeling of ease is something the general usually makes his enemies feel.

Nonetheless, we formed a line of defense.

Our squad dug into a destroyed factory.

The Imperials continued to send wave upon wave of attacks but everyone managed to maintain the line.

* * *

The fighting died down at around 10pm but given our experience at Fort Belgen, we weren't taking any chances.

So me, Isaac, Drifa, Sonia, and Aria were on guard duty from 11pm to 2am while the others slept.

I almost forgot it was winter but the falling snow and the cold night made sure I wouldn't forget.

The 5 of us gathered near one of the factory windows.

We lit a small campfire just behind a wall.

I prayed that the light isn't too obvious outside.

Most of the place was dark so lighting a fire was a risk but so was freezing to death inside the cold dark remains of a factory… I wonder how the others are keeping themselves warm…

Luckily, the Imperials were also busy keeping themselves warm. I could spy a couple of distinct campfire lights in some of the buildings across the street.

In the meantime and to my surprise, the 5 of us were actually having a normal conversation.

Drifa and Sonia were friendly enough but I didn't expect Aria to be enthusiastic in talking too.

Isaac was quiet and only responded when we talked to him but he seemed to be ok with talking to us.

"So what've you been up to before this whole thing. 'Drifa'?" Aria asked with a mischievous smile

"Why you ask?" Drifa replied "You know I worked for the police since '38"

"No. Not that. Before joining the police! You disappeared on us back in '37. What happened to you? And don't say you were a 'nursing student'. We both know that's bullshit"

"What does that mean?" I asked

"Hehe… You see little Drifa over here isn't exactly squeaky clean. She used to be a hired gun working with me and Rain back in the day until she disappeared on us. 'Drifa' isn't even her real name"

"Wait. I thought she was a nursing student back in '35?"

"Ha! That was just a cover! If you're in the underworld long enough, you'll learn how to essentially be different people at once"

"Give me a break" Drifa responded "I just wanted to retire from being a hired gun"

"So you wanted out of that life?" I asked

"Yeah… I don't regret choosing the path of an assassin but I don't regret retiring either"

"You don't? Then why'd you leave?"

"Well… It's a bit complicated but let's just say someone convinced me to leave…"

"Someone?!" Aria said leaping up "Was it that Edna person?!"

"Edna? No. I only met her last year"

"Then who convinced you?" I asked

"Ahehehe… I'll keep that to myself"

"What? 3 years and you're still as secretive as ever!"

"Well we all have our secrets. Am I right, 'Riri'?"

"Riri?" I wondered as I notice Aria's right eye twitch

"Aaanyway" Aria said turning to Isaac "How bout you, Mr. Frown?"

"Mr. Frown?" Isaac responded with a sigh "I have a name you know"

"Yeah. Yeah. So… What's your story?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know. What was your career before all this mess?"

"I used to be a baseball player in the Federation"

"And?"

"Nothing much really. I wasn't exactly famous or anything. When the war broke out, I was immediately drafted so didn't really have enough time to build up my career or anything"

So that explains his incredible grenade throws…

"That's it?"

"Yeah… I don't really have an interesting story. I'm just a regular baseball player drafted into the army. Besides, aren't we supposed to be on guard duty?"

Aria sighs. "That's just boring… With this freezing weather, I don't think any Imperials are gonna attack us"

"Yeah…" Isaac responded "We thought the same back in Fort Belgen"

"No one likes a smartass, Mr. Frown"

"My name is Isaac!"

"Really? How about resting bitch face?"

Isaac squints his eyes. "Is she always like this?"

"When she's bored" Drifa answered "Yes. You have my condolences, Isaac. She's gonna bother you until she gets bored of doing that"

Despite being a ruthless assassin, Aria seemed pretty carefree once the shooting dies down. I never really imagined her to be like this.

As they continued their conversation, I noticed Marian walking up the stairs behind us.

"Marian?" I wondered as I stood up "Hey. I'll check the 2nd floor"

"Ooooh" Aria responded "Gonna have a secret rendezvous with Marian?"

"What?!"

"Don't play dumb. I saw her walk up those stairs"

Yeesh… I thought she was busy talking to the others.

I shouldn't forget she's an assassin.

* * *

I followed Marian to the 2nd floor and I saw her sitting at the edge of the 2nd floor looking into the sky.

She was only wearing her tank crew uniform.

I took off my jacket and put it on her.

"You'll get cold, you know" I told her

"Denzel?" she replied

"Can't sleep?"

"Yeah…"

"Still sad about losing your sister's tank?"

"I am but… It's just that her birthday's coming soon…"

"Oh yeah… It's on January, right?"

"Yeah…"

Marian never stops thinking about her older sister. Well I understand the sentiment.

I was really torn whether to continue our conversation from Fort Belgen or not.

She didn't ask it yet. Part of me was hoping she forgot about it actually… But

"Hey, Denzel" Marian said "Can you tell me about sis' last mission?"

She remembered that conversation. Clear as day…

I have no means to escape this conversation.

I walked right into it actually…

"Are you sure you want to know?" I asked

"Yeah"

"Alright…"

* * *

 **1937**

"We got a couple of rebel lancers in the apartment building!" Elena said over the radio "I can't advance!"

"We're on it!" I responded as I lead my squad into the designated building

The 2nd battle of Randgriz… Thanks to the efforts of the Lanseal cadets, we managed to regain the initiative against the rebels. We were doing well in the opening moments but soon, the rebels manage to fortify their remaining positions.

It was a hard battle. Our tanks could hardly provide support so it was up to the infantry to break the stalemate.

Building to building, room to room.

It was close quarters combat most of the time.

"Elena" I said over the radio "We've entered the target building. Hold your fire!"

"Roger that!" she replied "Make it quick. My trigger finger's itching!"

My squad broke through the emergency exit of the apartment building.

We quickly made our way through the building, dispatching any rebel we see.

Within a few minutes, the threats were neutralized.

"You're clear to move up, Elena!" I said as Elena and her squad push forward.

The battle was almost won. The rebels were on their last legs.

Only one final defensive line remained. If that falls, Randgriz was as good as ours.

We were positioned near the shopping district, surrounded by a couple of tall buildings.

After a few hours of fighting, we were about to break the line until…

"Firing!" Elena said as she fires her tank, destroying the enemy field guns.

She fires again, this time destroying a machinegun nest.

"Field guns and machinegun nests silent" Elena reported

"Copy!" An army officer responded "All forces move in! Secure the castle!"

We were about to advance too but a couple of rebels managed to infiltrate behind our lines.

They positioned themselves in the buildings around us.

 _Weren't there supposed to be soldiers inside those buildings?_

Yeah… Supposedly but the rebels were as good in combat as our own men.

Most of the soldiers in those buildings didn't survive… They never saw the rebels coming from behind…

 _Oh…_

"Grenade!" one of our men shouted as grenades literally rained around us.

We all frantically jumped for cover as explosions occur around us.

Elena's tank was fine.

 _Of course. Grenades aren't enough to destroy a Type 38_

Yeah… But it was enough to put us into disarray.

Many of us were severely injured from the blasts.

Almost everyone was shouting for a medic as the rebels opened fire on our position.

Me and a few others were fine. So we provided cover fire for the medics to evacuate the wounded.

Elena responded by blasting the apartments.

Debris comes crashing down as Elena continues to blast the rebels.

The rebels just kept coming…

So Elena decided to move her tank into the plaza, an open area.

Most of the rebels followed her.

Of course, we did too.

I eventually noticed a rebel lancer getting ready to fire.

"Elena!" I shouted, opening fire on the lancer.

I managed to kill him but he manages to launch his rocket.

It hits the tank's treads.

"Damn it!" Elena said "Tank's disabled! I can't move!"

Her tank was stuck in the middle of the plaza as small arms fire came from every direction.

The rebels were starting to swarm her.

So I ordered my squad to push through and reach the tank.

We managed to do it amazingly.

"Elena!" I said banging on the tank "Get out of the tank! We gotta get out of here!"

"Working on it!" she replied "Too much enemy fire to evacuate my crew!"

"Squad!" I commanded "Provide covering fire! James. You help me get the crew out!"

"Yes sir!"

One by one, we evacuated each crew member as the rebels slowly advanced to our position.

Elena was the last to get out.

We then began to move back to our lines as the rebels kept pushing forward.

I think they saw us retreating because right after that, the rebels just charged towards us, guns blazing.

We ran for our lives in that open field.

The rebels were firing from both sides, front and back.

We took refuge inside one of the buildings.

To make matters worse, we were running low on ammo.

So basically, 4 men armed with Mags submachineguns and 4 tank crew members armed only with Tokarev pistols. All low on ammo.

We immediately requested assistance but the nearest squad that could get to us was still far away and the rebels were still putting up a fight.

Desperate, we decided to fortify the 2nd floor.

Any rebels we kill, we quickly go down and grab any weapons and ammo we see.

Good thing those rebels were using the same weapons as ours.

We managed to hold on for about 30 minutes.

The rebels just kept pouring into the building and we couldn't get their guns and ammo anymore.

They caught on to our dilemma.

After another 20 minutes, we were down to only a few magazines left…

We could clearly see the guns and ammo on the floor below the stairs.

But trying to get them was like trying to get that cheese off of a mouse trap…

One mouse has to die for the others to get it.

That was when your sister decided…

"Elena?!" I said as she suddenly leaps over our makeshift barricade "Elena!"

I frantically followed her as she engages the incoming rebels with her pistol.

"Denzel!" she said throwing me some ammo "Get them upstairs!"

I quickly handed the items to another squad member, who brings them upstairs.

I covered her as best I could but it wasn't good enough…

A rebel rifleman emerges from the window in front of us.

He shoots Elena in the chest.

She returns fire, hitting him in the face.

"Elena!" I shouted running to her side "I need cover fire!"

The other squad members provided cover fire while I carried Elena to the 2nd floor.

We laid her to a table nearby.

She was shot in the stomach.

Normally, a couple of bandages would fix the problem but none of us had any left…

We used up all of our medical equipment on the wounded earlier…

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" I shouted "Elena! Hold on!"

I quickly grabbed the radio. "Where are goddamn reinforcements?!"

"We're almost there!" the other squad replied "Just a few blocks out!"

"Get here faster!" I shouted "We need a medic! We don't have anything to cover the wound!"

"Calm down! We're coming!"

I quickly turn to Elena, who still managed to smile despite the pain.

"They're almost here" I said "Why'd you have to be a goddamn hero, Elena!"

"Hehe" she said in a pained tone "Well… I'm just that whimsical…"

She coughs up some blood.

"Don't talk" I said trying tearing some parts of my uniform "You're gonna make it. Do you hear me!? You're gonna make it out of this!"

I frantically used the torn parts of my uniform as a makeshift bandage.

"There" I said "Put pressure on that, alright?"

The fighting as getting more and more intense as the rebels were starting to climb the stairs.

"Go" Elena said

"What?"

"Go. Defend the barricade… I'll be ok"

I didn't have much of a choice… The rebels were about to overrun our position.

"Don't you dare close those eyes!" I told her

She smiles at me. "Don't worry. I won't close them. I promise. Besides…"

Elena slowly raised her head and kissed me… "I still have a lot of things I want to do with you"

"Th-That's a promise then"

I didn't really have time to be flustered. At the time, I thought how whimsical Elena was.

She was always the type to say and do whatever she wanted. Even to the point of playing around with the others. I think you know what I mean, right?

 _Yeah_ …

We managed to defend our position and finally enough, the reinforcements came and we were finally safe.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I quickly got back to Elena.

But she wasn't moving…

My eyes widen. "No… No…"

I ran to her side.

Her eyes were still open and she was still smiling but she was cold…

During the fighting, she must've died from the blood loss…

I immediately collapsed to the floor as I began to cry.

"That's not what I meant when I said don't close those eyes!" I shouted "That's not what I meant!"

Elena also had a habit of taking some of the things I say literally as a joke to annoy me sometimes. Until the very end, she still pulled that same prank to me but this time, this prank was far too cruel…

* * *

"I couldn't protect your sister…" I said sorrowfully "I let her bleed out… I thought she could last longer… If only I knew… If only I knew…"

I was starting to cry as Marian hugged me.

Didn't really stop me from crying though…

"It's ok" Marian said "You tried your best"

"But… But…"

"I don't blame you or anyone from your squad… Sis died fighting and, like you said, with a smile. She didn't regret what she did"

"But…"

"Shhh. It's ok. We're not like the valkyrur. We don't have some kind of superpower to save everyone. We're only humans after all…"

"Marian…"

Before I could utter a word, I spotted several shadowy figures moving in the dark snowy night and the unmistakable sound of a tank engine.

Adrenaline quickly courses through my body as me and Marian stand up.

We look at one another and nod as we ran downstairs.

"I've spotted movement!" I said to the others as Aria looks out through the window.

A bullet flies past her.

"Ok" Aria said picking up her rifle "We got company!"

Immediately after, bullets begin to fly again.

Everyone quickly gathered by the factory's wall.

"What do we got?" Franko asked as the others returned fire

"A couple of Imperial squads" Aria answered "'and light tanks"

Suddenly, a tank shell destroys the eastern part of the factory wall. Good thing none of us was there.

They were throwing everything they had at us!

Rockets, grenades, tank shells

They were throwing everything but the kitchen sink.

Before we knew it, we were facing off against an entire battalion.

"They're really desperate!" General Barredo said as he throws a grenade "Rain! Move to the second floor! Provide sniper support! Isaac, Jane, Drifa! Go with her!"

As the others move to their positions, I could hear the unmistakable sound of tank engines.

I slowly peeked through the window and I was greeted by the sight of several Imperial tanks in the front.

They didn't look like the standard Imperial Light Tank. And they were too small to be medium tanks.

I didn't really have enough time to think about that as the tanks open fire on our position.

Some shells missed while others destroyed parts of the factory.

Roswell quickly takes aim and destroys two tanks in quick succession.

But before he could fire his 3rd rocket, the tanks suddenly started speeding towards our position while raining machinegun fire on us.

"SHIT!" General Barredo said "Everyone! Get out of the factory!"

We quickly turned around and started running as the Imperial tanks break through the factory walls.

Rain and the others barely managed to escape the crumbling factory.

The Imperial tanks break through the wreckage.

Rain and the others quickly take cover as the enemy tanks open fire on us.

Me, Marian, Sonia, Aster, and Edna managed to take cover inside a train station while the others took refuge inside a house.

Some of the tanks turned around and began attacking the other parts of the defensive line.

While 2 tanks continued chasing us, raining heavy fire on our positions and the buildings we took refuge in weren't exactly in top condition either…

"Denzel" Marian said tapping my shoulder "I have a plan"

"What is it?" I asked

"Those are 7TPs. They were originally a prototype for a new tank for the Federation. But when Drzewica fell back in '37, these tanks fell into Imperial hands"

"How'd you know that?"

"I've read up on tank history when I signed up at Lanseal"

"So you know how to drive one?"

"Their controls should be pretty similar to Gallia's medium tanks but I can adapt…"

"So what's your plan?"

Marian smiles as she gathers everyone around her.

* * *

After about 5 minutes, I picked up my radio.

"General Barredo" I called

"What is it, Denzel?" he replied

"Sir. We have a plan but we need you to keep those 2 tanks busy"

"I gotcha! Make it quick. This house isn't gonna last long!"

With that, General Barredo and his squad returned fire as best they could while we crawled through the train tracks.

The Imperials bought it and completely engaged the general's position.

The two tanks weren't parallel, one was behind the other.

This would have been easy but the Imperial infantry had already caught up.

We hid behind some bushes as the enemy infantry engages our allies.

Once we made sure that no more infantry units were coming, we slowly crawled towards the unsuspecting Imperials.

About 3 soldiers were hiding behind the tank we were targeting.

They haven't spotted us yet but I wasn't ready to take any chances.

"Aster. Sonia" I said handing Aster my rifle "Take out those soldiers but make sure no one notices. One shot to the head"

The two nod as they aim their rifles at the Imperials.

The two fire, hitting their marks.

They quickly pull back their bolts as the 3rd soldiers notices them.

Before he could alert his allies, Sonia shoots his mouth then Aster finishes him off with a headshot.

"Nice shot, Sonia" Aster said returning my rifle

Sonia chuckles as we continued sneaking towards the tank.

After a while, we reached the back of the tank.

"So" I said "How do we open this thing?"

But before Marian could tell me, an Imperial soldier opens the hatch and mounts the machinegun.

Must have been our lucky day…

Edna quickly draws her Browning pistol and shoots the enemy gunner in the head as Marian enters the tank.

After a couple of shots from her revolver, she gains control of the tank.

The Imperials were so preoccupied with the others that they didn't notice what just happened.

"How are you doing, Marian?" I asked as Marian familiarizes herself with the controls

"Ok… That's the pedal… We turn using this…" she muttered as the tank clumsily moves a bit

"Marian. The Imperials are gonna notice this tank stopped shooting"

"I got this"

Marian then moves the turret towards the other enemy tank.

She fires a shot, destroying it.

We quickly emerged from behind the tank neutralized the remaining soldiers.

"Nice strategy" General Barredo said as the others moved to our position "But we still got a line to defend. Let's move!"

"Yes sir!"

The Imperials managed to break through our defensive line.

We were forced to retreat to the square but by then, the fortifications were complete so we managed to halt their advance…

The fighting died down again at around 2am…

That was a surprise… But on the bright side, Marian has a new tank now…

We thought this was going to be an easy victory but I guess a cornered enemy is a force to be reckoned with. But still… No sign of those 'walking tanks' we heard… Why do I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of another week's long battle…?

 **2:30am:**

Aster and others took over guard duty for us. Finally time to get some sleep… Or at least salvage what sleep I can…

Everyone was understandably on high alert.

Amazingly, in the darkness, Aster spots a figure walking through some buildings south of our position.

Without a single word to anyone, he investigates.

* * *

He sneaks through the rubble, using the various campfires and light sources in the area to approximate the position of the person he's stalking.

The unknown figure stops at the 2nd floor of a house.

Aster notices the figure bring out a pair of binoculars.

"A scout…" he mutters as he slowly walks towards the figure.

The floor creeks and the figure turns around.

Aster aims his gun at the figure. "Don't move. Hands up"

"Aster?"

Aster's eyes widen.

He brings out a lighter while still pointing his gun.

"Emilia…"

The two sorrowfully stared at one another.

Aster then puts his gun down and embraces the Imperial soldier.

Emilia's eyes widen. She tries to reach for her knife.

Her commanding officer's orders echo in her head. "When you see your boyfriend, make him feel pain"

Her hands were shaking, her breathing heavy, and she was ready to cry.

"Emilia. I'm glad you're still alright…" Aster said hugging her tightly

Emilia gasps as tears began streaming from her eyes.

She then returns Aster's hug.

"Why are you here? Why?" she asked with a sorrowful tone.

Aster did not respond as the two simply continued to hug one another.


	15. Ch 14: Holiday

**December 18, 1940:**

It's been 9 days since this 'easy' battle started and our feet haven't even touched the soil around that supply base.

But I did hear that the Militia are slowly pushing the Imperials back to the border.

At least that's some good news… But this is one hell of an invasion force…

How many battalions did the Imperials send here, I wonder?

Anyway, we've formed another defensive line near the train station.

Well, to be exact, our squad's guarding this bridge standing over the train tracks below…

The only thing keeping those bullets away from my soft flesh are these rows of sandbags.

But even then, the only way to really feel protected is to go prone. There's still a chance for a headshot when we crouch and that's not even mentioning the Imperial snipers that keep taking potshots at us…

Every day, they'd send a couple of units to test our defenses.

We managed to hold out but I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before they try the same thing they did days ago…

Still no 'walking tanks' though…

All this uncertainty is making me kinda anxious.

I just pray that this'll be over soon so we can proceed one battle closer to the end of this war…

 **December 19, 1940:**

This is strange…

The Imperials attacked the bridge again but it looked like a scouting unit…

Why would they need scouts after days of fighting?

Not to mention they hardly tried attacking at all… They just watched from those ruined building.

I can see the sun's light reflect from their binoculars.

I have a really bad feeling about this…

 **December 20, 1940:**

Another 'quiet' day…

And the snipers stopped taking potshots at us…

I guess Rain and the other snipers managed to get them.

With conditions improving, we can finally sit up straight again.

"Ah my back…" I said straightening my back while crouching behind a sandbag "… Nice to finally be able to sit down"

"Tell me about it" Roswell responded stretching his arm a bit.

"Any idea what's going on?" Jane asked

"No idea" Franko replied "I heard from Hanz that the Imperials are almost out of Gallian territory"

"But d-doesn't that mean there should be more waves of enemies?" Renee asked

"Yeah…" Edna responded "Maybe they're focusing most of their forces on the Gallian front?"

"If that's the case" Marian said, emerging from her tank "Then why aren't we attacking?"

"Well that's the General's call, right?" I replied

"Besides" Franko added "The enemy commander has proven to be quite crafty. I guess Hanz is being cautious. A bit too cautious if you ask me"

"What's wrong with being cautious?"

We turn around, seeing General Barredo behind us.

"I've been confirming the enemy's movements and positions via recon planes" the General answered "I just received the photos"

"What do we got?" Desmond asked

"The Imperials are in full retreat to the supply base. They've been fortifying the base for an upcoming siege and-"

General Barredo cuts himself off as we hear the familiar sound echo from afar.

Before any of us could utter a word, an artillery shell lands directly in one of our fortified positions.

"Get the fuck out of your positions!" the General shouted as we ran.

Seconds later, our position was pelted with artillery fire.

The general quickly grabbed my radio.

"All units who are reading this! Get out of your positions! Head to your respective rally points! NOW!"

"Incoming!" Roswell shouted as we see more artillery shells in the sky

"RUN!"

I don't think an order to run was necessary. Those artillery shells were more than enough to send all of us running for our lives.

To make matters worse, those shells accurately hit every fortified position in our line.

I knew those scouts were bad news!

After a few minutes, the artillery shells stopped raining.

General Barredo quickly regroups the surviving squads as those 'walking tanks' finally make their appearance.

Two legs, a small frame, and what looks like two cannons.

It's pretty hard to describe but I guess it looks like they took a plane's cockpit and placed it on top of a tank frame and then replaced the treads with metal 'feet'.

The enemy 'tanks' quickly open fire on our position.

But they didn't fire tank shells. They were raining machinegun fire on us.

We all frantically hid behind the nearest cover as the tanks slowly walked closer.

Marian and about 2 crusaders return fire.

They managed to destroy a few of the walking tanks.

One of the enemy tanks then fires a rocket, destroying one crusader.

"Fuck!" the general exclaimed as he grabs my radio "All units, fall back to the next line!"

These tanks are as fierce as the rumors say they are…

I really hate it when rumors like this turn out to be true.

As we ran for our lives, the enemy tanks rained rockets and machinegun fire on us.

Many are gunned down, their backs turned towards the enemy.

"We're getting slaughtered!" Desmond shouted as he turns around "We have to do something! Rain! Aria!"

"Crocker?! What are you doing?!" Franko said as the 3 convicts open fire on the enemy tanks.

"I don't think bullets can hurt those things!" Roswell said, firing a lance rocket.

It manages to hit one of the tank's legs.

The leg quickly collapses, causing the tank to fall over.

General Barredo's eyes widen.

"Jane" he said "Binoculars!"

Janes nods as she hands her binoculars.

"That's it!" he said grabbing my radio "All units! Consolidate and counterattack! Those 'tanks' have weak legs! Aim for the legs! I say again! Aim for the legs!"

Weak legs huh… Well it does fit the stereotypes on Imperial vehicles…

Strong firepower and good armor but always has a fatal weakness that can be exploited.

For a while there, I thought these 'tanks' were invincible.

"Form up!" General Barredo continued "These bastards think they're immortal! Let's show them the cold dark reality!"

The general rallied everyone and the once panicking soldiers are now regrouping and fighting back.

I'm really amazed at how General Barredo can rally people and boost morale…

Actually, I'm even more amazed that Desmond was the one to actually inspire the general to stand our ground.

They're really strong men… and I don't just mean physically.

I sometimes I wish I could be as strong as these people. Maybe if I am, I could have undone the sins I committed years ago…

"Denzel!"

I was brought back to reality. I didn't realize I was lost in thought in the middle of a battle.

"General?" I responded

"You're coming with me! We're gonna access the ham radio in the train station!"

"Y-Yes sir!"

We kept a long-range ham radio in a small security room at the train station.

Luckily, the structure was mostly intact, apart from a couple of caved-in halls.

This could actually work to our advantage as it's just one hallway towards the radio.

That is once we do secure the room…

"Duval!" the General said "Cover fire!"

"With pleasure!" Renee responded, laughing maniacally while providing cover fire.

Me, Aster, Desmond, Edna, and the general then move through the ruins, trying to evade detection.

Eventually, the train station was just across the street.

But there was no cover…

"What do we do?" I asked

"We'll keep them busy!" Aster replied as he and Edna take position behind a wall.

Before any of us could say anything, the two opened fire on the Imperials.

"Go!" Aster shouted

"Crocker! Denzel!" the general said tapping me in the shoulder "Move now!"

We quickly ran for the station but the Imperials quickly noticed us.

General Barredo returned fire while I and Desmond entered the target room.

The general followed shortly after with the Imperials not too far behind.

With only one way into the room, we made a makeshift barricade out of metal filing cabinets.

"Denzel!" the general said as he reloads "Get on that radio and call for air support! We'll keep these bastards busy!"

"Y-Yes sir!"

I quickly ran to the ham radio.

"Command. Command. This is 3rd Battalion, Squad D! Does anyone copy?"

"We read you Squad D" the radioman responded "What's the situation?"

"We're taking heavy casualties from enemy artillery! Imperial forces are using blitzkrieg tactics to break through our lines! Requesting immediate air support!"

"Copy that Squad D. Standby"

I anxiously waited for their reply as another barrage of artillery shells shakes the building.

"Denzel!" the general said as more Imperials enter the hallway "What's the status of the air support?"

"No response yet, sir!" I responded as I notice an object land in the middle of the room "Grenade!"

Desmond quickly took the grenade and threw it back but he was hit in the left shoulder.

He crawls back behind the makeshift cover.

I tried to approach him.

"Stop!" the general said "Throw me a bandage! You just focus on that radio!"

"Y-Yes sir!" I replied throwing a bandage at the general

It took a while for the general to patch up Desmond's wound since he had to fight off the Imperials as well.

"That should do it!" he said as he fully commits to keeping the Imperials at bay

Desmond then drops his submachinegun and brings out a revolver.

He breaks cover and started shooting at the Imperials with one hand.

"What are you doing?!" the general said

"A single bullet wound isn't gonna take me out of this action!" Desmond responded

I wanted to help but someone had to stay by the radio… I couldn't provide cover fire from where I was…

Cornered rats indeed… The Imperials are really desperate to break through our lines…

I wonder how long we'll last…

* * *

Meanwhile, in another battlefield;

"Red 1. Red 1. This is command. Do you copy?"

"This is Red 1" Sora replied "What do you need?"

"Red 1. What is the status of your mission?"

"Bristols are coming within range of the target. No signs of Imperials yet"

"Copy Red 1. You and your squad are to divert from Zarasai to Perm upon completion of your mission. We'll be sending the No. 3 Fighter Squadron to relieve you of the Bristol Beufighters"

"Copy that command. What's our new directive?"

"Provide aerial support to our forces in Perm. Enemy artillery units are causing heavy casualties within their ranks"

"Acknowledged. We'll be on our way to Perm once all this is done"

"Solid copy Red 1. Good hunting"

* * *

There's no end to these Imperials!

How are they able to maintain having this many troops?

"Squad D. Squad D. Do you copy?"

"Command. This is Squad D. What's the status of the air support?"

"We've contacted a squad. Hold out for as long as you can. They will be reassigned to your location upon completion of their mission"

"Roger that"

I quickly turned to the general. "General Barredo! Command's contacted a squad! They'll be on the way after completing their mission!"

"How long?"

"Command didn't specify, sir"

"Damn it! Then we'll just have to hold out!"

With that, I went to the barricade and aided my allies in defending our position.

Meanwhile, the others were slowly falling back as the enemy adapted to our new strategy.

The 'tanks' are now using the ruins to cover their weak legs.

"Cheeky little bastards!" Renee shouted "Oi! We're wasting bullets here! We have to take the fight to them!"

"Easier said than done!" Jane responded "Those tanks will tear us to pieces before we can even touch them!"

"And those artillery won't hesitate to blow us a new one! Better we're dangerously close to their own men than risk another deadly rain!"

"Wait, Renee! What're you doing?!"

"Saving this army!"

Renee then throws a smoke grenade.

Seconds later, she runs into the thick smoke.

"Wow…" Aria uttered as everyone stood up, dumbfounded.

"Uh…" Isaac said "Shouldn't we go after her?"

The squad then hears a few explosions coupled with the sound of machinegun fire and maniacal laughs.

Everyone quickly ran to the scene.

"Whoah…" Franko said as they are greeted by a destroyed 'tank' upon emerging from the smoke.

"Heh…" Drifa said with a nervous smile "… She really does transform when the battle starts huh…"

"No kidding…" Sonia responded "… Is she alright in the head?"

"I doubt it…" Aria added "But hey works well for us… I guess"

Rain then peeks around the corner of the destroyed 'tank'.

She spots Renee, in a prone position, behind some rubble as the last Imperial 'tank' pelted her position.

The sniper quickly positions herself and fires a shot.

The bullet hits the tank but is ineffective.

The enemy pilot notices the sniper and opens fire.

The sniper quickly takes cover.

This gave Renee enough room to throw an anti-tank grenade.

The explosion causes the 'tank' to take a step back.

Quickly, the others provided cover fire for Renee as she runs to the enemy 'tank'.

She quickly ties a satchel charge on one of its legs.

She quickly runs to the nearest cover and detonates the explosive.

It obliterates the tank's leg, causing it to fall over.

"Whoah…" Aria said "That's it. I officially do NOT want to be on her bad side"

"Agreed…" Sonia replied

"Well ain't that a first…" Drifa remarked "But I guess it's understandable"

The squad stood there staring at Renee, who was taunting the downed pilot.

But they were quickly brought back to reality as bullets began to fly again.

For the next few minutes, our forces were able to regroup and slowly push the Imperials back.

Meanwhile, we were doing quite well in keeping the Imperials out of the radio room.

Morale was at peak height as we fought with all our might.

But the Imperials were just as determined to stop our advance.

"Who's gonna budge?" I thought to myself

Not long after, someone contacted me on my own radio.

"Squad D. This is Red 1. Do you copy?"

"Red 1!" I said with excitement "Good to finally hear from you!"

"Nice to hear you too. Anyway, my squad's been relieved! We're headed your way! 10 minutes! Hold out for 10 minutes!"

"Roger that!" I said as I put my radio down "T-Ten minutes! Air support's coming in 10 minutes!"

"Finally!" General Barredo said "Denzel. Give me you r radio"

"R-Right!" I said handing my radio to him.

"Franko! How are things on your end?"

"We got the Imperials on the run and uh…"

"Is that laughter I hear?"

Franko sighs. "Don't ask… Anyway, we've regrouped with Aster and Edna! We're almost to the train station!"

"Right! Keep at it! Also, we got air support in 10 minutes! Spread the word!"

"With pleasure!"

Within the next few minutes, we regained the ground we lost hours ago.

And with impeccable timing, Sora and her squad rained machinegun fire from above.

I must say they looked like angels coming to our rescue.

I never thought I'd miss the sound of those plane engines.

And with that, the battle was over…

Well at least for that day.

But Sora and her squad assaulted the Imperials for a while before heavy flak fire and low fuel forced them to retreat.

 **December 20, 1940:**

Crafty…

Just when I thought this battle was almost over, the Imperials managed to turn the tables again.

The militia and army squads in the Diebal Mountains were making great progress in pushing the Imperials back into the border.

Just when I thought that they'll be forced to fight on two fronts…

The Imperials collapsed a tunnel connecting the mountains and Perm.

Luckily, nobody died or got trapped.

But now the militia and army squads on the other side can't reach us.

So the rest of this battle will be between us and this Imperial battalion.

Things are gonna get bloody. I know it.

 **December 21, 1940:**

Yep... Things have gotten more intense.

The Imperials aren't directly taking us on but they're using every explosive they got to flush us out of our fortifications.

 **December 22, 1940:**

This is odd…

We can clearly see the Imperials in front of us but they're not shooting again…

Is this another scouting unit?

Are they calculating our positions again?

But I thought we destroyed all of their artillery?

Oh no…

Paranoid, we opened fire every time we see even part of their uniform.

Not gonna make it easy for them to bomb us a second time!

 **December 24, 1940:**

 **7:00am**

2 days of inactivity…

I'm getting really nervous.

No action. No explosions. Not even a single bullet…

What are those Imperial planning?

Just then, a lone soldier walks in the middle of the battlefield.

His hands were raised and his palms were open.

"Is that a woman?" Desmond wondered

"What?!" Aster responded as he borrows my binoculars

"Not Emilia…" he whispered

The soldier was a woman with long red hair.

She had this confident smile as if she knew no one will shoot her.

She stops midway.

Silence.

We stared at her, waiting for what would happen next.

She reaches for something on her back while still raising her left hand.

We took aim.

"Hold your fire" General Barredo commanded

It was a megaphone.

"Gallians. Federation" she said "Tomorrow is the Winter Festival. A holiday we both celebrate. I'm sure we are all tired after days of fighting. So I have a proposal. Tomorrow. If you don't shoot, we won't shoot"

"What?" I said, scratching my head "What did she just say?"

"Is she serious?" Jane said

Everyone was whispering around me.

After what just happened, who wouldn't?

I later found out the entire line was also talking about this as the Imperials sent a couple of messengers to relay the same message.

"I propose a ceasefire" the woman added "This battle had boiled over for too long. We are tired and we can't seem to gain an advantage over the other. Not to mention that tomorrow is a beloved holiday for all of our nations"

This isn't normal in a battlefield, let alone something an Imperial would say.

Just then, General Barredo stood up and walked closer to the woman.

"I want to speak to your commander" he said

"And you are?"

"General Hanz Barredo. I command these men"

"Heh. You're looking at her then"

"What?"

"I am Brigadier General Valerie Tulius"

"Well… Isn't this a surprise"

"You were expecting a big macho man?"

"Not really… I've encountered very competent female Imperial officers before. Anyway, so what assurance do I have that you won't stab us in the back?"

"Haha! You're just going to have to trust me"

"Trust you? You really think after everything that happened in the past few days, we'd just put our guns down and sing on a campfire with you?"

"No. I guess not. Well, the holiday is tomorrow so think it over. We'll put our weapons down as a sign of good faith. But if you shoot any unarmed soldiers, be ready for a world of hurt"

The woman then walks away with General Barredo standing there, contemplating on what she said.

* * *

Later that night, the entire squad gathered in the radio room while the other squads were on guard duty.

General Barredo was just finished relaying the day's events.

"This ceasefire is unacceptable, general" command replied "Holiday or not, you and your battalion will take that supply base by any means necessary!"

"Yes sir" the general replied, turning the radio off.

"So" Edna asked "What do we do?"

"I say we give this ceasefire a chance" Aster said

"You can't be serious" Franko responded "Command is against this ceasefire. You want to be court-martialed?"

"I don't care. I-I'm just tired of all this fighting… Aren't any of you guys tired too?"

"Aster…" Sonia uttered with a concerned look

"I agree with Aster" Desmond added "I'd like to give this ceasefire a chance"

"Hoho" Edna reacted in disgust "The murderer wants peace? That's rich"

"You got a problem with that?" Rain responded

"What do you think, convict?"

"Convict? Are you asking me to kick your ass right now?"

"You think you can?"

"Want to find out?"

"Bring it on, sister"

"Whoah. Whoah" Drifa interrupted as she stands between the two "No need for a confrontation here"

With a grunt, the two back off.

"Doss" General Barredo said turning to the medic "Give me a reason why I should consider this ceasefire"

"Well…" Doss replied "The world is already tearing itself apart. Wouldn't really hurt if we have a day or two where we're not killing each other. After all, we're all just human beings. I think this ceasefire will remind us that we're all humans"

"That is IF those Imperials keep their word" Roswell added

"I don't trust them" Franko said "None of those bastards have a single molecule of honor in them. Mark my words. They'll stab us in the back the second they get a chance"

"I have some reservations for this too" Jane added "I'm not really comfy with these Imperials proposing this ceasefire…"

"Right…" General Barredo said, deep in thought "Well… At least there's no battle today. Take a rest. We'll see how things turn out tomorrow"

* * *

I really don't know how to process what just happened…

But I really hope the Imperials do keep their word… I'm really tired and I just want at least a day without feeling that a bullet could find itself drilling through my body anytime…

I couldn't sleep that night so I took a walk…

I noticed Sonia and Aster near a campfire.

For some reason, I decided to hide and sneak to their position.

I don't really know why I did it.

I basically eavesdropped on their conversation…

"Aster…" Sonia said "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine" Aster replied with a sigh

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

"This is about Emilia, isn't it?"

"She's here, Sonia. She's an enemy soldier…"

"Oh…"

"I don't want to kill her. She's one of the last few important people I have left. Morris, Flunky, Cooper, Paul, and Croix all left me. I don't want anyone else to leave me behind"

"Aster... It's not your fault. They didn't-"

"No! I survived while they all died in front of me! I was there, Sonia! All of their last moments! I was there!"

"I know… But you can't let the past keep you down. You and me know Croix would tell you that"

"You think I don't know that? Croix would definitely tell me that. Hell if ghosts exist, I think he'll be spouting the same words in my face. But this is different. I couldn't stop their deaths. But Emilia. There's still a chance for her to live! But why?! Why did she go back to the Empire?! Why did she enlist in their army again?! Why, Sonia?! Tell me why?! Why am I cursed to keep feeling pain over and over again?! No matter how much I try, the pain just keeps coming back!"

Sonia doesn't respond.

"I've tried to live a happy life for 5 years! 5 goddamn years! I even tried to stay out of the civil war! I only fought when the town was threatened! So why?! Why?!"

Having heard enough, I quietly left the scene…

It looks like Aster has some baggage…

There really are no winners in war, huh?

 **December 25, 1940:**

Everyone was awake by the early morning.

I guess they were anxious on how things will turn out.

We could see the Imperial soldiers in the distance but they didn't look like they were armed.

There was this huge stretch of land that no one treaded.

Can't really call it 'no man's land' since there are no hazards in it…

For the next few minutes, both armies just stared at one another.

When the sun finally rose over the battlefield, a small group of Imperial soldiers, wearing winter coats, left their positions and started walking down towards us.

A couple of our men took aim.

This is it. What's gonna happen now?

Unabated, the Imperials continued walking.

I can feel my heart pound and my breathing was deep.

I clenched my rifle tightly.

One shot. Just one shot will determine how this day will turn out…

The Imperials stop just close to our position.

They reach into their coats.

The other soldiers took aim as well.

It was still a quiet morning.

You can hear every soldiers' heavy breathing.

Then the Imperials bring out a cigar box.

They each lit a cigar and offered it to us.

We all put our weapons down and looked at one another, perplexed.

Then, General Barredo walked out of our fortifications.

We were all shocked.

The general then took a cigar and had the Imperials light it for him.

With a puff, he turns to us. "Denzel. Radio"

I complied.

"All units. This is General Barredo. A ceasefire is in effect. There is no battle today. Only celebration"

There was no cheer or anything.

The battlefield was still quiet.

We were clearly confused.

Just then, more Imperials started walking out of their lines, unarmed and holding cigars, boxes of food, and even soccer balls.

It took a while but a few of our own soldiers rose from the fortifications and accepted these items being offered.

Soon two stood up.

Then three.

Then ten.

And eventually, everyone finally relaxed and started to celebrate the holiday.

The Imperials kept their word…

No shots were fired that day.

And by noon, everyone was laughing and playing with one another.

It was as if there was no war at all…

It was really surreal. I actually pinched myself because I thought I was dreaming…

But no. This was reality.

Just days ago, we were aiming guns and cannons at each other.

Now, I'm seeing these same soldiers drinking beer together.

Making jokes, laughing, telling stories, and even exchanging gifts.

There was even a soccer game between the Gallians and the Imperials.

How did this happen?

How is this kind of interaction possible?

Nevertheless, it was a nice change of pace.

* * *

But as much as I wanted to celebrate, I wasn't exactly comfortable spending the holiday with the Imperials, ceasefire or not.

They're all Darcsen Haters anyway.

And so, I wondered around the 'town' and ended up taking a smoke by the train tracks.

The stars were plainly visible in the sky.

I never noticed it before… I guess with no fighting, I can take in the 'scenery'.

So I did.

The surprisingly intact train tracks were behind me and across the street was a destroyed house.

Half of it was collapsed but the other half was still standing.

The front porch was totally destroyed.

I can tell the people who used to live here evacuated in a hurry.

There are still scattered bags and other items around the house and street.

"What a waste…" I uttered puffing a smoke.

"What are you doing all alone?"

"Marian?"

"Hey. You're not celebrating with the others?"

"Heh. How about you? You're here"

"Well I didn't see you in any of the groups so I looked for you. So why are you here?"

"Nothing really. It's not like I can celebrate the holiday with the Imperials"

"Is it because you're a Darcsen?"

"What other reason is there?"

"Well… Edna and Doss seem to be doing fine"

"Really? That's new. I thought the Imperials would treat us like dirt. Good for them then"

"It looks like the Imperials don't really care if you're a Darcsen or not. I guess they just want to rest too"

"That's good. Maybe I'll join in the festivities later"

"Ok. Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Oh sure. I hope you don't mind the smoke though"

"Eh. I'm used to the smoke from tank engines. What's the difference if it's from a cigar?"

"Alright"

For a while, it was quiet.

I smoked and looked at the night sky while Marian sat next to me looking around.

I didn't really notice that my mind started drifting away from reality.

* * *

"Denzel! Denzel!"

"Elena? What do you want, now?"

"Come on! You've been smoking under this tree for half an hour!"

"Leave me alone. I just want to lie under this tree in peace. Shoo fly don't bother me"

"Come on man! It's our day off! We haven't gotten a day off in forever and you're just gonna waste it smoking under a tree?!"

This was around July. With a string of successful operations by both the army and the Lanseal Cadets, the rebels were at a disadvantage.

Command was confident that it was only a matter of time before the rebels would be crushed.

Thinking back, they never really learned from the 1935 invasion… Many generals were still overconfident…

Nevertheless, many of us in the army got a day off because of this.

"Who are you? My mom?"

"Heh! Maybe I am! Cuz you're acting like a teenager having a tantrum!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! You're just a little boy pretending to be a 'big tough man'!"

"Ohohoho. You are NOT baiting me into doing ANOTHER favor for you!"

"Tch. Caught on, did you?"

"Your mind games won't work on me anymore"

"Oh? Alright. Then I guess I'll just publish a book then"

"Publish? When did you start writing?"

"Oh no. I didn't really write this"

Curious, I looked at Elena, who had this smirk in her face.

"What?" I wondered as Elena shows me a book.

The sun was so bright that I couldn't clearly see the book.

I stood up and looked at it one more time.

My eyes widen. "Wait! That's my journal!"

Elena laughs.

"Hey! Why'd you rummage through my stuff?!"

"What's wrong?" Elena said as she slowly walks backward "I've read some of your entries. You got quite a talent in writing. You never considered publishing a book before?"

"Don't evade the question! Give me back my journal!"

"Sorry 'little man'" Elena said as she turns and runs "Since you won't spend time with me, I might as well contribute to the world of Literature!"

"Do it with your own goddamn work!"

I chased Elena throughout the camp and eventually, I managed to recover my stolen journal.

But I had to make a deal with Elena do so…

"Never take my stuff EVER AGAIN!" I said taking the journal from Elena

"Can't make any promises on that" Elena replied with a wink "So. Let's get going! I hear there's this carnival in town! Come on! We're burning daylight!"

"You planned this from beginning, didn't you?"

"Whatever could you mean?"

Elena… She was annoying for the most part…

Always trying to get me to come with her by any means necessary.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun…

Elena...

I wish I could have done something to save you…

But if you knew what I did back in 1935, I wonder, would you still want to be around me?

Doesn't matter now… I have yet to repent for that sin anyway…

Maybe that's why I'm not allowed to have peace…

* * *

"Denzel?"

"Huh?! What? Oh, Marian"

"Are you ok?"

"Oh. I-I'm fine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I'm fine, really"

I then turn to Marian, who was looking back at me with a stern look in her face.

At that moment, those eyes… I saw Elena in her.

"Tell me straight and no looking away" she said "Are you ok?"

"I-I… I"

That's not fair… Elena would pull the same shit off on me too when I'm feeling down in the dumps…

She always knew what buttons to push…

"Hey! Denzel!"

"What?"

"Look at me and answer my question"

I give up…

"Damn it" I said with a sigh "… Using Elena's techniques against me is so unfair"

"Heh… Had a feeling she'd use the same technique on you"

"Huh?"

"You were really close with my sister, huh?"

"Well… I didn't really have any choice in the matter"

"But you enjoyed spending time with her, right?"

"… Yeah"

"You're not still blaming yourself, are you?"

"Huh? N-No. I-It's not that… It's just that… there's a lot of stuff in my head right now"

"And you haven't shared this with anyone?"

"No"

"I won't pry on that but it does help to find someone to talk to"

"I know it is but it's not easy to share these things"

"Why?"

"People will hate me for it. Hell. General Barredo knows it and he condemns me for it"

"The general condemns you?"

"Yeah… Told me himself, last month"

"Are you sure that's what he meant?"

"Yeah. What else could he mean?"

Marian sighs as she stands up.

"Marian?"

She ignores me as she headed to the destroyed house in front of us.

I followed her, of course.

Without a single word, we both looked around the house with only the moon as our source of light.

There wasn't really much to see except this one room in the 2nd floor.

It looked like a child's room with a crib in the middle.

Toys are scattered around the floor.

I felt a bit of pain in my heart seeing this sight.

I pray that the family got out safely…

Still silent, I followed Marian downstairs.

"What's she doing?" I wondered

We basically walked around a destroyed house for about 15 minutes.

Marian hadn't said a word the entire time.

Then, we ended up at the garden in the backyard or what's left of it…

I can still see the garden's outline but the plants are burnt or pieces of it are everywhere.

Marian then crouched over the garden.

"What are you doing?" I asked

Marian didn't respond.

I walked closer.

It looked like she was looking for something amongst the remains of the garden.

"Ah" she finally uttered "Denzel, look"

Marian steps aside.

It looked like a green plant bending down with an oval bud at the end with whitish 'hairs' around the plant.

"What's this?" I asked

"That's a red poppy" Marian answered "It's a flower"

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Tell me, Denzel. Would you have believed that a flower could grow in the middle of all this destruction?"

"No"

"Exactly. I don't know how much pain you're dealing with but if you just focus on the destruction around you, well… You won't be able to see these flowers"

"I don't get it"

"You're looking at the general scenery which is, of course, depressing. But you're not looking at these hidden pockets of hope"

"I'm don't understand"

Marian sighs. "I guess we all process our grief and pain differently…"

"What?"

"Nothing… Just think about that flower and what it means"

"Uh ok"

"I'm going back now. I hope you'll celebrate the holiday with us"

Marian then left as I contemplated on what she said.

I don't understand.

A flower was able to grow in middle of all this destruction…

What does that have to do with anything?

The more I thought about what she said, the more confusing it got.

Eventually, I decided to just sit behind a wall and lit another cigar.

 **December 26, 1940:**

I slept well last night but Marian's words still confuse me.

I spent most of the night thinking about what she said but I couldn't come any closer to an answer.

I walked towards the 'frontlines'.

And to my surprise, I saw several imperial soldiers, wearing winter coats, walking and smoking around the battlefield.

The ceasefire was still in effect.

Part of me still didn't want to interact with these soldiers but for some reason, I compelled myself to do so.

I approached a group of Imperials.

Each step I take, my mind creates a possible scenario that could happen when I start talking to them.

But before I could say a word, one of the Imperials offers me a cigar.

I was shocked.

They didn't insult me or they didn't walk away or anything.

They offered me cigar and even a place to sit with them.

I decided to give this a chance.

I accepted the cigar and started having conversations with the Imperials.

"So what's your name?" one of the Imperials asked

"Denzel" I answered

"Nice to meet you. My name is Joshua Garin. The guy smoking over there is Simon Kraus. And the drunk bastard over there is Arnold Kulik"

"Who you calling drunk?!" the drunk Imperial shouted "I can still think clearly you piece of shit!"

"Riiight… Don't mind him. He's generally a good guy but he's a lightweight"

It was surreal.

Just days ago, we were aiming guns at each other, ready to end a life, but now, here we are talking, smoking, and drinking as if we were friends all along.

I'll admit. I had fun talking to them. Hell some of their jokes were quite funny too.

I guess I was wrong to think that all Imperials hated Darcsens…

* * *

Meanwhile in the remains of a hotel;

Aster finds himself sitting behind a wall with Emilia leaning on him.

"Oh yeah" he said with a yawn "Not really a comfy place to sleep…"

Aster then carefully carries Emilia to a nearby bed.

Despite the destruction around the hotel, the bed was still intact.

She was still sleeping soundly as Aster looks at her with sorrow.

He then walks out of the room.

As he brings out a cigar, he spots the red-haired Imperial general in the hallway approaching him.

"I didn't want to interrupt your moment last night" the woman said with a mischievous tone and smile

"You're the general, right?" Aster replied

"That's right. Tulius. Does that name ring any bells?"

"Depends. What are you trying to say?"

"Kwad Tulius was my father, you see. I only heard about his death after the ceasefire"

"Get to the point"

"I know you killed my father"

"So you want to kill me to avenge him?"

"Something along those lines. After all, he was my father"

"You have no idea of the countless atrocities he did. Not to mention the shit that he did to me"

"That's irrelevant to me. Say what you will about him but he was a family man. A caring father and a loving husband"

"Well that's a first. With the way he treated me and my squad, I'd peg him as a psychopath who'd beat his wife and kids"

The general's smile fades. "What do YOU know about him?"

"Oh I know enough. He's a war criminal, plain and simple"

"You're trying to provoke me?"

"Maybe I am"

"You're lucky I'm a woman of my word or else I'd be painting these walls with your insides"

"Heh. You can try. But I guess that's what Emilia is for, right?"

"Hmm?"

"I have a feeling you all know she defected 5 years ago. But she came back and no one executed her. So… Is this your revenge? Getting her to kill me so that the two people who caused your father's death will suffer?"

"Hehehehe. You have no idea how my mind works, little boy. If the plan was as simple as that, I'd have done some more… drastic measures"

Aster leers at the general.

"You think the world is simple? That people are just divided between 'good' and 'evil'? Ha! You have no idea"

"Why did you come here anyway? I don't think you came here just to taunt me"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to meet the man who killed my father in person"

The woman then turns around. "Don't get me wrong. I know he did a lot of heinous things throughout the war but none of that matters to me. To me, he was a loving father and I loved him dearly. And you and Lualdi took him away from me. I think you can understand that kind of thinking, can you?"

Aster doesn't respond as the woman walks away.

* * *

As the woman walks away from the hotel, she hears someone call her. "General Tulius"

She turns around. "Ah. General Barredo. What is it?"

"I was just looking for you. Mind if I borrow you for a second? I got some beer and a nice place to drink them"

"Heh… Why not?"

She then follows General Barredo to the remains of a bar.

"So why did you call me?" the woman asked

"Nothing much, really. Just wondering how your government is reacting to this ceasefire"

"Well you know… They don't like it and they're demanding I go back to fighting"

"Heh… Same here. Only a matter of time before either of our governments interfere and force the war back on us"

"So you want to call the ceasefire off?"

"I don't plan on it. I'm stalling as much as I can but these festivities will have to end"

"True…"

"The only question is when will the fighting resume?"

"That is a good question…"

 **December 31, 1940:**

It's amazing that this ceasefire lasted this long.

I heard that command isn't happy with General Barredo disobeying orders.

I don't really know how these two generals are able to defy the higher ups.

A ceasefire is rare. A ceasefire like this is even rarer.

Tomorrow's the New Year. I wonder if this ceasefire will last until then.

But one thing's for sure; this ceasefire will end.

It's kinda sad since I became good friends with those Imperials.

But I guess it's inevitable… At the end of the day, we're from different warring countries and we're expected to kill each other.

Is that all we are?

Are we just walking organic guns?

Even these new friends of mine have resigned themselves to this fate…

"Hey Denzel" Joshua said "How long do you think this ceasefire will last?"

"Dunno… But once it's gone, then we're back to normal, huh?"

"Yeah unfortunately…" Simon added

"Well that's war" Arnold said "Truth be told, I feel that this entire war is just a squabble between our leaders. I don't think any of us have any actual stakes in this… But we're the soldiers"

"Yeah…" I said

"We can't do anything about it" Joshua said "Sad as it may be. We all have a job to do"

"But…"

"No buts" Arnold interrupted "You're part of the Gallian army and we're part of the Imperial Army"

"We're at war" Simon added "Whether we like it or not, we have our countries to protect. You have Gallia. We have the Empire"

"I know…" I replied

"Denzel" Joshua said "Promise us that the next battlefield we meet, you won't hesitate to pull that trigger"

"What?!"

"Promise us. We're all soldiers here. And the best way you can show us respect is through this"

"Respect? You call, me promising to kill you guys my friends, respect?!"

"Yes…"

"Damn it…"

Arnold then pours some beer on my cup.

"Well then" he said lifting his bottle "Cheers and let's pray that we won't ever meet in the battlefield again…"

"Cheers…" I said with a dejected tone

This isn't right…

What kind of promise is this?!

Of course, they wouldn't stop asking me until I agreed…

I now understand why command didn't want this ceasefire to happen…

Would it have been better if I never got to meet and talk with these people?

Maybe it would have been… Cuz they'll just be added to the list of numerous faceless Imperial soldiers I gunned down…

* * *

 **9:30pm:**

I was smoking by the train station when Renee approached me.

"D-Denzel" she called

"Hmm?" I responded

"General Barredo wants to see you at the Radio Room"

"What would the general need from me?" I wondered as I went with her to the Radio Room.

 **Radio Room:**

Everyone in the squad was gathered inside this cramped room.

"Ah good that everyone" the general said "We'll be conducting an operation tonight"

"Are we gonna attack the Imperials?" Aster asked

My heart sank as I heard those words.

"That's kinda low" Jane added

"Relax" the general replied "We're not attacking the Imperials. Our target is a couple of howitzers deployed by Edinburgh just behind our lines"

"Edinburgh deployed howitzers here?" Roswell asked "But why? We didn't request for them"

"As you all may know. Command doesn't approve of this ceasefire. I had Desmond, Aria, and Rain conduct some information gathering and reconnaissance for me"

"Through my contacts and the twins' earlier patrol" Desmond added "Edinburgh sent these howitzers to disrupt the ceasefire and to make it poetic, they decided to fire them at exactly the New Year"

"Funny" Isaac said "I never expected Command would play this dirty"

"We don't have much time!" the general said "Get your gear and meet up on this location within the next hour! I will not let this disgrace happen!"

* * *

 **Later:**

We gathered at the bottom of a hill.

I have mixed feelings about this operation.

On one side, we're stopping Edinburgh's dirty tactic to force us back into the war…

On another, we'll be attacking our allies.

Nevertheless, these men had to be stopped.

We slowly climbed the hill, using the trees and bushes to avoid the federate patrols.

Eventually, we spotted the howitzers.

The soldiers were already calculating the trajectories.

"We're running out of time!" Desmond said as he and Aria emerge from the bushes

"Desmond!" the general said as the two knock out two guards they encountered

"Hanz" Jane whispered "They're right. Those howitzers are ready to fire. They just need a target"

"… Fine. Move carefully. Neutralize the soldiers. No fatalities, am I clear?"

We all nodded as we crept through the camp, knocking out every soldier we encounter.

But as I was moving to a makeshift tent, a soldier emerges from it.

He spots me and grabs his flare gun.

I acted quickly and shot his right shoulder.

Unfortunately, he manages to fire the flare first.

The camp was now alerted to our infiltration!

Immediately, bullets started flying.

We had control of the howitzers but the federate soldiers were now shooting at us from downhill.

"Damn it!" the general said "Renee! Thermite now!"

"I gotcha!" Renee replied as she begins planting the thermite on the howitzers.

"Everyone else! Focus on suppressing the federate troops! Keep casualties to a minimum if you can!"

Easier said than done…

We had the terrain advantage and we could all easily gun down the advancing federate troops but unfortunately, we're supposed to be on the same side.

So we were forced to intentionally miss our shots or inflict non-lethal wounds on them.

But our attacks aren't breaking their morale. They just kept advancing…

After a few minutes, Renee detonates the thermite, damaging the howitzers.

"That's it!" the general said "Plan B! We'll have to climb down the cliff!"

Drifa, Edna, Doss, and Franko quickly prepared the equipment for us to climb down this hill.

After another few minutes of fighting, they finally finished.

"Alright!" the general said "Renee! Desmond! Smoke!"

The two nod as they throw smoke grenades downhill.

As the federate squads are covered by smoke, we quickly stood up and ran to the cliff.

But the federate troops quickly closed the distance and we found ourselves desperately trying to stop them from catching up to us.

Me, Renee, Desmond, Aria, Isaac, and Jane provided cover fire while the others rappelled down the cliff.

After a while, it was just me, the general, Isaac, and Desmond are left.

Desmond and Isaac rappelled first but a federate soldier managed to hit Isaac in the left shoulder and left leg.

He slips and falls over the cliff.

"Isaac!" I shouted as the rope wraps itself around Isaac.

He stopped falling but he was screaming in pain, not to mention that he was bleeding out.

"Damn it!" I shouted as I tried to climb down

"Denzel!" the general shouted "You focus on the federate squads!"

"But general!"

"Desmond has it covered! You have your job! You're not a superhero so follow my goddamn orders!"

"FUCK!" I shouted as I begrudgingly follow orders.

It's happening again!

Why does this keep happening again?!

I know I'm goddamn powerless!

I know I can't save everyone!

But I'm getting tired that the world has to constantly remind me of this!

In my fury, I didn't notice that I was becoming more and more accurate with my shots.

"Denzel!" the general shouted

I didn't really hear him properly. I guess I was consumed by rage at that point.

"Denzel! Denzel! Goddamn it, DENZEL!"

I didn't respond.

I can't remember if I simply ignored him or if I really didn't hear him…

Nevertheless, I ignored his calls as I gun down any federate soldier that came close.

Then, the general then throws a grenade.

But this one was different. It emitted a bright light and deafening sound that disoriented me and federate soldiers.

The general then lunged at me and punched me in the face.

"I told you to minimize casualties!" he shouted "Get your shit together!"

"B-But Isaac!"

"Shut up! He's alive! He's fucking alive! Now get up and get down that fucking cliff! That's an order!"

I was still in a bit of a daze and I was still processing what just happened.

"Goddamn it, Denzel! I said, get down that CLIFF!"

I quickly regain my senses as I grab the rope and rappel down.

The general follows close behind.

After he rappels down, Rain's sniper fire prevented the federate troops from following us as we escaped.

* * *

After returning to the camp, the others quickly took Isaac to the medic.

I wanted to come with them but the general stopped me.

"What the fuck just happened back there?" he said

"I-I'm sorry sir…" I replied

"Do you read comic books?"

"What?"

"Because I think you have this superhero fantasy!"

"I…"

"You're just a regular human being and a soldier at that! You know that you can't lose control of yourself especially in those kinds of intense situations!"

"I-I'm sorry…"

The general sighs. "Look. I know you don't like the feeling of being powerless. But you can't let that feeling become a liability to your squad. Don't just think about how the situation is affecting you! You're not the only one affected by this war! Get your shit together or else you'll end up making the same mistakes you did years ago!"

"I-I understand…"

Thankfully, Isaac's injuries aren't fatal. He should make a full recovery after a couple of weeks…

 **11:59pm:**

It's almost the New Year…

For some reason, both generals had us line up on a single line, all facing the east.

I was still feeling a bit down from what happened hours ago…

Then, the countdown began.

5\. 4. 3. 2. 1…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone shouted as a couple of scouts from both armies fired shots in the air as if they were doing a 21-gun salute.

Once the firing stopped, General Tulius and General Barredo stood before us.

"We would like to thank you all" General Tulius said with a megaphone "This ceasefire was a success. And as part of our good will, the Imperial army will retreat from Perm. You have earned this victory soldiers of the Federation and Gallia. It was a pleasure celebrating these two holidays with you"

Perm was as good as ours but it doesn't feel… right.

Not because of this ceasefire but because the next time we'll meet these Imperials, we'll be back to killing each other…

 **January 1, 1941:**

As promised, the Imperial army was packing up.

Everyone was awake and we were all watching them march out of town.

I saw Joshua and the others amongst the crowd.

I saluted them.

I don't know if they saw me but they just kept marching…

I pray that I won't ever see them in another battlefield again…

General Tulius was one of the last soldiers to march out of town…

"Well" she said "It was a pleasure to meet you, General Barredo"

"Same here" the general replied

"If we ever meet again in the battlefield, may we fight with all we have and with honor"

"Agreed"

The two generals then shake hands as they raise their revolvers into the air.

They fire a single shot.

"With that" General Barredo said "The war is back on"

"Yes. And one las thing general" General Tulius said handing a pair of binoculars "Mind if you look at the hill over there. I left a couple of parting gifts there"

General Barredo did so and he spots several Imperial howitzers aimed at the town.

He chuckles. "Well played, general. You actually had an insurance policy"

"Of course. I don't know what kind of man you were so I prepared a little reply if in case you abused my offer"

"I guess I underestimated you again… That won't happen next time"

"I hope it doesn't. Because an easy victory is quite boring"

General Barredo then returns the binoculars as General Tulius boards a motorcycle and leaves.

* * *

And with that, Perm was now ours.

The supply base was intact but there were hardly any equipment or intel left.

Edinburgh immediately sent their armies to secure the base and town.

And the entire squad was brought to Appledore, a city in Edinburgh.

We were supposed to be court martialed for insubordination as well as our assault on the Edinburgh howitzers.

General Barredo took full responsibility of what happened.

 **January 5, 1941**

 **Appledore, United Kingdom of Edinburgh:**

"General Hanz Barredo" one of the Federation judges said "Give us a reason why we should not punish you for blatantly disobeying orders for more than a week as well as assaulting your own allies"

"You gave me an order to take that supply base by any means necessary" the general answered "I figured that ceasefire would have been the best way to capture that base! And I was right! You're going to punish me for achieving the very order you gave me?"

The trial went on for a couple of days.

We couldn't really relax and look around the city with this court martial so we spent our 'days off' watching the trial.

The general would have been in a great deal of trouble if not for Archduchess Cordelia's intervention, not to mention he managed to convince some of the ranking officers that he was right…

Luckily, he and the entire squad only got away with suspension.

So from January to September, we weren't allowed on the frontlines.

We were assigned from base to base around the Federation, doing menial jobs.

I guess it could have been worse…

Well… Considering the fact that someone from the Edinburgh Parliament was appointed as our commanding officer.

I'm not familiar with Edinburgh politics but I hear this guy has some sort of high position in the government.

I think it was called the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Great… Now we have a politician giving us orders…


End file.
